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From The September 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News
Evidence-based Products:
Cardiovascular Health
Sigma-Tau Health Science
ABOUT THE COMPANY: Sigma-Tau is a global leader in carnitine and metabolic research.
STUDY CLAIM: In patients with cardiac insufficiency, 1 g L-carnitine three times daily for four months improves patients' exercise tolerance.
PUBLISHED: Loster H, et al. Prolonged oral L-carnitine substitution increases bicycle ergometer performance in patients with severe, ischemically induced cardiac insufficiency. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 1999;13(6):537-46.
ABSTRACT: Acute and chronic L-carnitine application exerts protective effects in a number of cardiac diseases. These favorable effects are attributed to improvements in energy metabolism and have been found both in animal experiments and in humans. In order to investigate the effect of long-term oral L-carnitine substitution on physical performance, 41 patients suffering from New York Heart Association class II or III cardiac insufficiency were recruited for a clinical study. Following the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design of the study, 20 patients were given 1 g L-carnitine three times daily for 120 days, whereas 21 received placebo. Bicycle ergometer tests were used to determine maximum performance, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Four series of tests were carried out: on day 0 (before the first substrate application), on the 60th and the 120th day (during L-carnitine or placebo application), and on the 180th day (60 days after the end of substitution).
A significant improvement in performance, determined by a significantly higher maximum performance during bicycle ergometry, could be found within the carnitine group on the 60th and 120th day of L-carnitine application; hemodynamical parameters showed a tendency to improve, too. These effects, which were attributed to L-carnitine, could be detected even 60 days after the end of substitution. No corresponding changes were found in the placebo group.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: The findings support suggestions of other authors that L-carnitine in combination with the usual medication (digitalis, beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, nitrates) improves performance and effort tolerance in patients with cardiac insufficiency. Moreover, the findings suggest a favorable long-term effect, which lasts beyond the actual L-carnitine application, on the performance of patients with advanced cardiac insufficiency. Other indications include myocardial ischemia, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac dysfunction in demodialized subjects.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
sigma-tau HealthScience, Fine Chemicals Division
phone: 301-948-5450
www.sigmatau.com
COMPANY PROFILE: Wakunaga of America Co, Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan-based Wakunaga Pharma- ceutical Co., Ltd., researches, develops, manufactures, and markets medicinal herbs.
STUDY CLAIM: Wakunaga's Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract, aged for up to 20 months without heat to preserve the natural properties, reduces risk factors for chronic diseases, especially in cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack and stroke.
PUBLISHED: Rahman K, Billington D. Dietary supplementation with aged garlic extract inhibits ADP-induced platelet aggregation in humans. J Nutr 2000;130:2662-5.
ABSTRACT: Garlic has been widely reported to protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing serum cholesterol concentrations and blood pressure and by inhibiting platelet aggregation. However, most of these studies have been performed in hypercholesterolemic subjects or in animal models. We performed a 13-week study in normolipidemic subjects who ingested 5 ml aged garlic extract (AGE) Kyolic per day. Blood was drawn from these subjects at the beginning and end of the study. Aggregation of platelet-rich plasma was induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP); full lipid profiles and liver function tests were determined on serum, and plasma concentrations of eicosanoids were also measured.
Dietary supplementation with AGE significantly inhibited both the total percentage and initial rate of platelet aggregation at concentrations of ADP up to 10 mmol/L. The KM for ADP-induced aggregation was approximately doubled after supplementation with AGE, whereas the maximum rate of aggregation was unaffected. No significant changes in plasma thromboxane B2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1a concentrations or serum lipid profiles were observed. When taken as a dietary supplement by normolipidemic subjects, AGE may protect against cardiovascular disease by inhibiting platelet aggregation.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: Patented for its ability to reduce elevated homocysteine, cholesterol, and blood pressure, AGE can be used to support good health by boosting immune system function.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
23501 Madero
Mission Viejo, CA, 92691
1-800-421-2998, 949-855-2776
www.kyolic.com
Tishcon Corp.
ABOUT THE COMPANY: Since 1977, Tishcon of Westbury, N.Y., produces vitamin and health supplements including tablets, softgels, hard gelatin capsules, and powders for generic and proprietary products.
STUDY CLAIM: Using coenzyme Q10 in Tishcon's Q-Gel in 47 patients with cardiovascular disease during a four-week treatment resulted in significantly reduced plasma lipoprotein(a) and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol, without any effect on total and LDL cholesterol.
PUBLISHED: Singh R, Niaz M. Serum concentration of lipoprotein(a) decreases on treatment with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 patients with coronary artery disease: discovery of a new role. Int J Cardiol 1999;68:23-9.
ABSTRACT: The objective of the study was to examine the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on serum lipoprotein(a) in patients with acute coronary disease. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects had clinical diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, angina pectoris (based on World Health Organization criteria) with moderately raised lipoprotein(a), and were randomized to receive either 60 mg Q-Gel coenzyme Q10 twice daily (n=25) or placebo (n=22) for 28 days.
Serum lipoprotein(a) was significantly reduced in the coenzyme Q10 group compared with the placebo group (31 percent vs 8.2 percent P<0.001) with a net reduction of 22.8 percent attributed to coenzyme Q10. In the coenzyme Q10 group, HDL cholesterol was significantly increased in the intervention group without affecting total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol; additionally, blood glucose was significantly decreased. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation was also associated with significant reductions in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances as well as malon/dialdehyde and diene conjugates, indicating an overall decrease in oxidative stress.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: Supplementing with hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 (Q-Gel) decreases lipoprotein(a) concentration in patients with acute coronary disease.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
30 New York Ave.
Westbury, NY 11590-5910
Email: Raj@tishcon.com
www.tishcon.com
516-333-3050
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