NeOpuntia® Helps Balance Blood Lipids

BRAM, France—Results from an unpublished, proprietary study indicate prickly pear cactus (as NeOpuntia®, BioSerae) could help balance blood lipid levels and reduce cardiovascular risk due to its beneficial effects on both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels.

Participants included 68 women with metabolic syndrome as well as body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 40. In the monocentric, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel, double blind study, several lipid parameters were measured: changes in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides.

During the six-week study, half of the females consumed 1.6 g NeOpuntia per meal, the other half took a placebo—both in capsule form. At the end of the study, participants were reevaluated for metabolic syndrome.

No side effects from NeOpuntia were observed; and participants had no difficulty in consuming the administered dose. On and after the 14th day of the study, NeOpuntia tripled the benefits of a well-balanced diet alone, decreasing LDL cholesterol level by 10 percent compared to 3 percent for placebo. In addition to its lipophilic properties, results indicate NeOpuntia could help balance blood lipids level and reduce cardiovascular risk.