Cholesterol: Guggul and Niacin

Gum guggul has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to manage blood lipids. The amber-like resin comes from Commiphora mukul, a myrrh tree found mainly in northern Africa and central Asia. A study on Gugulipid® from Sabinsa demonstrated in American population, Gugulipid may be preventing cardiovascular disease primarily by its anti-inflammatory action (cardiovascular disease a low-grade inflammatory process) rather than cholesterol lowering properties.²³

In the Annual Review of Nutrition, researchers reported: “The stereoisomers E- and Z-guggulsterone have been identified as the active agents in this resin. Recent studies have shown that these compounds are antagonist ligands for the bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR), which is an important regulator of cholesterol homeostasis. It is likely that this effect accounts for the hypolipidemic activity of these phytosteroids.”²⁴

Niacin, more commonly known as vitamin B3 is a water-soluble vitamin clinically shown to reduce LDL cholesterol. According to a review, niacin is unique because it can effectively treat all lipoprotein abnormalities, including reducing LDL and triglycerides and increasing HDL.²⁵

Researchers at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston said: “Niacin has a substantial HDL cholesterol raising effect, and also may beneficially alter total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Niacin also exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other beneficial effects on atherosclerosis ... Niacin has the promise of being a powerful pharmacologic agent in the fight against atherosclerotic disease, although additional clinical studies are required to examine this further.”²⁶

Research on nutritional ingredients is constantly expanding and the need for alternatives to statins is an ever-growing sector.

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