Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess whether dietary supplementation with a nutraceutical blend comprising extracts of bergamot and artichoke-both standardized in their characteristic polyphenolic fractions-could positively affect serum lipid concentration and insulin sensitivity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and indexes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 90 healthy individuals with suboptimal cholesterol levels. Participants were randomly allocated to treatment with a pill of either active treatment or placebo. After 6 weeks, the active-treated group experienced significant improvements in levels of triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein B-100 (Apo B-100), and apolipoprotein AI (Apo AI) versus baseline. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C), and hs-CRP also significantly decreased in the active-treated group compared to both baseline and placebo. At the 12-week follow-up, individuals allocated to the combined nutraceutical experienced a significant improvement in TC, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C, TG, Apo B-100, Apo AI, glucose, alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (gGT), hs-CRP, several indexes of NAFLD, and brachial pulse volume (PV) in comparison with baseline. Improvements in TC, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C, TG, fatty liver index (FLI), hs-CRP, and endothelial reactivity were also detected compared to placebo (p < 0.05 for all). Overall, these findings support the use of the tested dietary supplement containing dry extracts of bergamot and artichoke as a safe and effective approach for the prevention and management of a broad spectrum of cardiometabolic disorders.