Clinical Efficacy of A Nutraceutical Approach for the Management of Dyslipidemia in Metabolic Disorders: A One-Year Treatment With Armolipid Plus

AIM: Dyslipidemia plays a crucial role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. A correct lifestyle behaviour based on a balanced diet and moderate physical exercise is the first-line approach, however drug treatment (chiefly statins and/or ezetimibe) may be often needed. Among dietary supplements, so-called "nutraceuticals" are nowadays continuously proposed and frequently employed. In this paper we report our experience with a nutraceutical product largely utilized in Italy (as well as in Mediterranean area) (ARMOLIPID PLUS), based on red yeast rice, berberine, policosanol and some antioxidants, for the treatment of dyslipidemic people. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this open-label trial we treated with this nutraceutical 37 dyslipidemic nondiabetics and 15 dyslipidemic type 2 diabetics for 12 months, monitoring serum lipids, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and performing also anthropometric measurements including skinfold thickness. RESULTS: Both in dyslipidemic and diabetic patients we observed a great (about 80-100 mg/dL) parallel decrease of total- and non-HDL Cholesterol, not justified by LDL-Ch decrease (about 37 mg/dL). Furthermore, while body weight and body mass index were not affected significantly by treatment, suprailiac skinfolds (around 6 cm) and total skinfold sum (10 cm) were heavily reduced by the nutraceutical in both groups of patients. CONCLUSION: The present paper confirms that this nutraceutical, due to the synergistic complementary interaction between berberine and red yeast rice, is a reliable option for effective management of dyslipidemia in metabolic disorders with glucolipidic abnormalities.