"cyclodextrin improves solubility of cholesterol deposits"

TODO: ad proof links from this URL

2010 Insulin sensitivity regulates cholesterol metabolism to a greater extent than obesity: lessons from the METSIM Study

«Cholesterol synthesis is upregulated and absorption downregulated in insulin resistance and in type 2 dia-betes. We investigated whether alterations in cholesterol metabolism are observed across the glucose tolerance status, from normoglycemia through impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes, in 781 randomly selected men 45 to 70 years of age from a population-based Metabolic Syndrome in Men Study. Cholesterol metabolism was assayed using surrogate serum markers, squalene, and noncholesterol sterols. The study population was classified into subgroups according to glucose tolerance as follows: normoglycemia, impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes. LDL cholesterol did not differ between the groups. Cholesterol synthesis markers were lowest and absorption markers highest in normoglycemia. Sitosterol was lower in subjects with impaired fasting glucose compared with normoglycemic subjects (113 ± 7 vs. 136 ± 3 10² μmol/mmol of cholesterol, P < 0.05). LDL cholesterol was not associated with lathosterol/sitosterol ratio, a marker of cholesterol metabolism. Peripheral insulin sensitivity evaluated by the Matsuda index was associated with the lathosterol/sitosterol ratio in the entire population (r = −0.457, P < 0.001) and with that of lathosterol/cholestanol independently of obesity. In conclusion, cholesterol metabolism was altered already from subjects with impaired fasting glucose. Upregulated cholesterol synthesis was associated with peripheral insulin resistance independent of obesity.»

«In insulin resistance (8), and in insulin resistant states such as obesity (9), metabolic syndrome (14, 15), and T2D (2–6), cholesterol synthesis is upregulated and cholesterol absorption efficiency is low compared with controls.»

2016 Regulation and function of AMPK in physiology and diseases

The first known function of AMPK is the regulation of lipid metabolism. AMPK inhibits de novo synthesis of fatty acids (FAs), cholesterol and triglycerides (TGs), and activates FA uptake and β-oxidation (FAO).

2017 Can coffee consumption lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease? A literature review

«In light of the fact that the number of elderly citizens in society is steadily increasing, the search for dietary factors which might prolong mental agility is growing in significance. Coffee, together with its main ingredient, caffeine, has been the focus of much attention from various researchers, as data on its beneficial effects on human health continue to accumulate. Most reports indicate that moderate coffee consumption may in fact lower the risk for common neurodegenerative conditions, i.e. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Regardless, due to their complex pathogenesis as well as methodology of scientific research, the exact impact of coffee consumption remains to be fully elucidated. At present, it seems safe to inform the general public that coffee drinkers need not fear for their health. Possibly, in the future experts will recommend drinking coffee not only to satisfy individual taste preferences but also to decrease age-related mental deterioration.»

«the method of brewing coffee affects the content of cholesterol-raising diterpenes – cafestol and kahweol. Unfiltered, boiled coffee is rich in diterpenes, whereas filtered coffee has far lower concentration of these compounds because of their retention by the filter paper»

2001 Coffee consumption and serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.

«Coffee drinking has been associated with increased serum cholesterol levels in some, but not all, studies. A Medline search of the English-language literature published prior to December 1998, a bibliography review, and consultations with experts were performed to identify 14 published trials of coffee consumption. Information was abstracted independently by two reviewers using a standardized protocol. With a random-effects model, treatment effects were estimated by pooling results from individual trials after weighting the results by the inverse of total variance. A dose-response relation between coffee consumption and both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was identified (p < 0.01). Increases in serum lipids were greater in studies of patients with hyperlipidemia and in trials of caffeinated or boiled coffee. Trials using filtered coffee demonstrated very little increase in serum cholesterol. Consumption of unfiltered, but not filtered, coffee increases serum levels of total and LDL cholesterol.»

2009 Artichoke leave extract for chronic hepatitis C - a pilot study.

Mean Bilirubin was within normal limits at baseline and reduced after 12 weeks of treatment, prothrombin time did not change.

Bilirubin 0.8 mg/dl -> 0.6 mg/dl

2011 Effects of rose hip intake on risk markers of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease: a randomized, double-blind, cross-over investigation in o...

«In comparison with the control drink, 6 weeks of daily consumption of the rose hip drink resulted in a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure (-3.4%; P=0.021), total plasma cholesterol (-4.9%; P=0.0018), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (-6.0%; P=0.012) and LDL/HDL ratio (-6.5%; P=0.041). The Reynolds risk assessment score for cardiovascular disease was decreased in the rose hip group compared with the control group (-17%; P=0.007). Body weight, diastolic blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, incretins and markers of inflammation did not differ between the two groups.

Daily consumption of 40 g of rose hip powder for 6 weeks can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk in obese people through lowering of systolic blood pressure and plasma cholesterol levels.»

2012 The effect of coffee consumption on serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

«Twelve studies conducted in Western countries with a total of 1017 subjects were identified. Meta-analyses showed, on average, drinking coffee for 45 days was associated with an increase of 8.1 mg/dl (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.5, 11.6; P<0.001) for total cholesterol (TC), 5.4 mg/dl (95% CI: 1.4, 9.5; P=0.009) for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and 12.6 mg/dl (95% CI: 3.5, 12.6; P=0.007) for triglyceride (TG). The increase in TC were greater in trials using unfiltered coffee and caffeinated coffee as the treatment group. Those who had hyperlipidemia were more sensitive to the cholesterol-raising effect of coffee. Meta-regression analysis revealed a positive dose-response relation between coffee intake and TC, LDL-C and TG.»

2013 Plasma PCSK9 concentrations during an oral fat load and after short term high-fat, high-fat high-protein and high-fructose diets.

Plasma PCSK9 concentration vary minimally in response to a short term high-fat diet and they are not accompanied with changes in cholesterolemia upon high-fructose diet. Short-term high-fructose intake increased plasma PCSK9 levels, independent on cholesterol synthesis, suggesting a regulation independent of SREBP-2. Upon this diet, PCSK9 is associated with insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and plasma triglycerides.

On cholesterol: "Briefly, HF diet was associated with increased total-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol (respectively
+9%, p = 0.069, +15%, p = 0.013, +16%, p =
0.006), decreased VLDL-triglycerides (−22%, p = 0.0017) [23]. HFHP diet was associated with increased LDL- and
HDL-cholesterol (+20%, p = 0.007, +14%, p = 0.005) [23]."

Keywords: PubMed, National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI, United States National Library of Medicine, NLM, MEDLINE, Medical Journals, pub med, Entrez, Journal Articles, Citation search

2013 Protection from age-related increase in lipid biomarkers and inflammation contributes to cardiovascular protection in Gilbert's syndrome.

Pro-inflammatory markers
SAA is a pro-inflammatory adipokine in humans linked to
obesity and is a predictor of CVD [24,41]

2016 Supplementation with coenzyme Q10 reduces plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations but not other lipid indices: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

«Plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] elevations are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a member of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with a prominent role as a potent gene regulator. The Lp(a)-lowering efficacy of CoQ10 has been investigated in different clinical settings with contrasting results. A systematic literature search in Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases was conducted to identify controlled trials investigating the efficacy of CoQ10 supplementation on plasma Lp(a) levels. Inverse variance-weight mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for net changes in Lp(a) levels using a random-effects model. Random-effects meta-regression was performed to assess the effect of putative confounders on plasma Lp(a) levels. Seven randomized controlled trials with a total of 409 subjects (206 in the CoQ10 arm and 203 in the control arm) met the eligibility criteria. Overall, CoQ10 supplementation was paralleled by a slight but significant reduction of plasma Lp(a) levels (WMD: -3.54 mg/dL, 95% CI: -5.50, -1.58; p<0.001), this effect being more robust in those trials with higher baseline Lp(a) levels (slope: -0.44; 95% CI: -0.80, -0.08; p=0.018). Reduction of plasma Lp(a) levels was consistent across different CoQ10 doses, with an inverse association between administered CoQ10 dose and Lp(a) lowering (slope: 0.04; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07; p=0.004). Neither total cholesterol and cholesterol subfractions, nor triglyceride levels were affected by CoQ10 supplementation. In conclusion, CoQ10 supplementation, in the tested range of doses, reduces plasma Lp(a) concentration, particularly in patients with Lp(a)≥ 30 mg/dL. Other lipid indices were not altered by CoQ10 supplementation.»

2016 The wild Egyptian artichoke as a promising functional food for the treatment of hepatitis C virus as revealed via UPLC-MS and clinical trials.

All patients (except for patients 5, 6, 7 & 9) suffered from jaundice as confirmed via the high levels of bilirubin which was improved after therapy as described in Table 1.

2017 Association of sleep duration and quality with blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

«RESULTS: Thirteen studies were identified (eight using sleep duration, four sleep quality and one both). There was heterogeneity in the sleep quality aspects and types of lipids assessed. Classification of sleep duration (per hour/groups) also varied widely. In the pooled analysis of sleep duration (6 studies, 16 cohort samples; 30 033 participants; follow-up 2.6-10 years), short sleep was associated with a risk of 1.01 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.10) of developing dyslipidaemia, with moderate heterogeneity (I²=56%, P=0.003) and publication bias (P=0.035). Long sleep was associated with a risk of 0.98 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.10) for dyslipidaemia, with heterogeneity (I²=63%, P<0.001) and no significant publication bias (P=0.248).

CONCLUSION: The present analysis was unable to find supportive evidence of a significant relationship between sleep duration and the development of dyslipidaemia. However, heterogeneity and small number of studies limit the interpretation.»

2018 Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Between‐group comparisons revealed a significant effect of ALE compared with placeb o in reducing serum concentration of total cho-lesterol(p<.001), LDL‐C(p<.001), non‐HDL‐C(p<.001), triglycerides(p<.001), and HDL‐C concentration (p=.011).

2018 Bilirubin acts as a multipotent guardian of cardiovascular integrity: more than just a radical idea.

«Bilirubin, a potentially toxic catabolite of heme and indicator of hepatobiliary insufficiency, exhibits potent cardiac and vascular protective properties. Individuals with Gilbert's syndrome (GS) may experience hyperbilirubinemia in response to stressors including reduced hepatic bilirubin excretion/increased red blood cell breakdown, with individuals usually informed by their clinician that their condition is of little consequence. However, GS appears to protect from all-cause mortality, with progressively elevated total bilirubin associated with protection from ischemic heart and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Bilirubin may protect against these diseases and associated mortality by reducing circulating cholesterol, oxidative lipid/protein modifications, and blood pressure. In addition, bilirubin inhibits platelet activation and protects the heart from ischemia-reperfusion injury. These effects attenuate multiple stages of the atherosclerotic process in addition to protecting the heart during resultant ischemic stress, likely underpinning the profound reduction in cardiovascular mortality in hyperbilirubinemic GS. This review outlines our current knowledge of and uses for bilirubin in clinical medicine and summarizes recent progress in revealing the physiological importance of this poorly understood molecule. We believe that this review will be of significant interest to clinicians, medical researchers, and individuals who have GS.»

2019 Vitamin D Deficiency and Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Disease Severity in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-...

«Research has investigated 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in the Atopic Dermatitis (AD) population, as well as changes in AD severity after vitamin D (VitD) supplementation. We performed an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of these findings. Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE up to February 2018 were performed. Observational studies comparing 25(OH)D between AD patients and controls, as well as trials documenting baseline serum 25(OH)D levels and clinical severity by either SCORAD/EASI scores, were included. Of the 1085 articles retrieved, sixteen were included. A meta-analysis of eleven studies of AD patients vs. healthy controls (HC) found a mean difference of -14 nmol/L (95% CI -25 to -2) for all studies and -16 nmol/L (95% CI -31 to -1) for the paediatric studies alone. A meta-analysis of three VitD supplementation trials found lower SCORAD by -11 points (95% CI -13 to -9, p < 0.00001). This surpasses the Minimal Clinical Important Difference for AD of 9.0 points (by 22%). There were greater improvements in trials lasting three months and the mean weight dose of all trials was 1500-1600 IU/daily. Overall, the AD population, especially the paediatric subset, may be at high-risk for lower serum 25(OH)D. Supplementation with around 1600 IU/daily results in a clinically meaningful AD severity reduction.»

2019 Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on insulin resistance and β-cell function in prediabetes: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

«RESULTS: In total, 64 participants completed the study. Baseline serum 25(OH)D concentration in the vitamin D3 and placebo group were 30.7 and 30.0 nmol/L, with status increasing by 70.5 nmol/L and 5.3 nmol/L, respectively (between-group difference in vitamin D: 65.8 nmol/L; 95% CI: 54.2, 77.3 nmol/L; P < 0.01), after supplementation. There was no difference between groups in measures of whole-body, peripheral, or hepatic IR or in any measure of glycemic control or β-cell function.

CONCLUSION: This study employed a robust assessment of IR and β-cell function and targeted a high-risk population with low 25(OH)D status at baseline and found that vitamin D3 supplementation had no effect on insulin action in people with prediabetes.This trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov as http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01889810" title="See in ClinicalTrials.gov" >NCT01889810.»

1997 Analysis of the content of the diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in coffee brews.

«The diterpenes cafestol and kahweol have been implicated as the components in boiled coffee responsible for its hypercholesterolaemic effects. These particular coffee constituents have also been shown to possess anticarcinogenic effects. A simple and sensitive reverse-phase HPLC method using solid-phase extraction has been developed for the analysis of cafestol and kahweol in coffee brews. This method was used to confirm that the method of coffee brewing is a major determinant of the cup content and hence level of consumption of these diterpenes. Scandinavian-style boiled coffee and Turkish-style coffee contained the highest amounts, equivalent to 7.2 and 5.3 mg cafestol per cup and 7.2 and 5.4 mg kahweol per cup, respectively. In contrast, instant and drip-filtered coffee brews contained negligible amounts of these diterpenes, and espresso coffee contained intermediate amounts, about 1 mg cafestol and 1 mg kahweol per cup. These findings provide an explanation for the hypercholesterolaemic effect previously observed for boiled coffee and Turkish-style coffee, and the lack of effect of instant or drip-filtered coffee brews. This methodology will be of value in more correctly assessing the human exposure to these diterpenes through the consumption of coffee, and hence the potential physiological effects of different brews.»