Artichoke and cholesterol

Artichoke leaf extract (ALE) – contained in Winter Salad™ – has been implicated in lowering cholesterol levels। Note down that hypercholesterolaemia – defined as mean total cholesterol levels of at least 5.17 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) – is directly associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease and other sequelae of atherosclerosis. Three randomised control trials RCTs (262 participants) support this assumption. In one trial the total cholesterol level in participants receiving ALE decreased by 4.2% from 7.16 (0.62) mmol/L to 6.86 (0.68) mmol/L after 12 weeks and increased from 6.90 (0.49) mmol/L to 7.04 (0.61) mmol/L in patients receiving placebo, the total difference being statistically significant (P = 0.025). In a further trial ALE reduced total cholesterol levels by 18.5% from 7.74 mmol/L to 6.31 mmol/L after 42 +/- 3 days of treatment whereas the placebo reduced cholesterol by 8.6% from 7.69 mmol/L to 7.03 mmol/L (P = 0.00001). Another trial did state that ALE significantly reduced blood cholesterol compared with placebo in a sub-group of patients with baseline total cholesterol levels of more than 230 mg/dL (P <>

Source:Wider B।, Pittler M.H., Thompson-Coon J. and E.Ernst. Artichoke leaf extract for treating hypercholesterolaemia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009;(4): CD003335