Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Cholesterol Metabolites in Postmenopausal Women with Hypercholesterolemia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Yu-Jin KwonSu-Nyeong JangKwang-Hyeon LiuDong Hyuk JungPublished in: Nutrients (2020)
Korean red ginseng (KRG) is known to exert beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. Meanwhile, reduced estrogen at menopause has been shown to have various adverse impacts on cardiovascular risk factors, including blood lipids. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of KRG on cholesterol metabolites, which are surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption and biosynthesis, in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia. The present study is an exploratory study which used data from a 4-week, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical pilot study in 68 postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia. Patients received KRG (2 g) or placebo (2 g) once daily. The primary endpoints were changes in the levels of nine sterols. Serum sterols were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS analysis. Among the sterols, reduction in cholesterol level were significantly larger in the KRG group than in the placebo group (the changes: -148.3 ± 261.1 nmol/mL in the ginseng group vs. -23.0 ± 220.5 nmol/mL in the placebo group, p = 0.039). Additionally, changes in 7-hydroxycholesterol (7-OHC) were significantly larger in the KRG group than in the placebo group (the changes: -0.05 ± 0.09 nmol/mL in the ginseng group vs. -0.002 ± 0.1 nmol/mL in the placebo group, p = 0.047). Oxysterols, cholesterol derivates, have been known to play a role in chronic inflammation diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. KRG improves sterol metabolism by decreasing cholesterol and 7-OHC levels in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia.
Keyphrases
- low density lipoprotein
- postmenopausal women
- randomized controlled trial
- bone mineral density
- mass spectrometry
- cardiovascular risk factors
- placebo controlled
- double blind
- liquid chromatography
- cardiovascular disease
- cardiovascular events
- phase iii
- study protocol
- oxidative stress
- type diabetes
- end stage renal disease
- clinical trial
- metabolic syndrome
- high resolution
- chronic kidney disease
- emergency department
- systematic review
- physical activity
- ejection fraction
- big data
- gas chromatography
- high performance liquid chromatography
- patient reported outcomes