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A Review of the Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Implications of Naturally Derived Dietary Supplements for Dyslipidemia

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Abstract

Dyslipidemia is recognized as a major cause of cardiovascular disease. A number of evidence-based guidelines recommend conventional synthetic drugs as standard therapy for dyslipidemia in clinical practice. However, antihyperlipidemic drugs have some serious side effects. Naturally derived dietary supplements are becoming attractive as an alternative strategy because of their high efficacy and safety, as supported by numerous data. Moreover, they could be considered an initial treatment for dyslipidemia. The aims of this literature review were to demonstrate the efficacy, safety, and clinical implications of dietary supplements for treating dyslipidemia. We reviewed the literature, including data from in vitro, in vivo, and human studies, and clinical guideline recommendations. We classified dietary supplements by their proposed mechanisms of action on lipid metabolism and also collected daily dosage recommendations, interactions with concurrent drugs and/or foods, dosage forms, and examples of commercially available products. Various types of naturally derived dietary supplements exhibit lipid-improving properties. Efficacy and safety are acceptable; however, their use in clinical practice will require further well-designed investigations and the support of scientific data.

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  1. Bioactive Resources for Innovative Clinical Applications Research Unit and Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Thanchanit Thaipitakwong & Pornanong Aramwit

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  1. Thanchanit Thaipitakwong
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  2. Pornanong Aramwit
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Correspondence to Pornanong Aramwit.

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This study was funded by the Thailand Research Fund through the Research and Researcher for Industry Programme (RRi) (Grant No. PHD57I0041) to Thanchanit Thaipitakwong and Pornanong Aramwit, Thailand.

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Thanchanit Thaipitakwong and Pornanong Aramwit have no conflicts of interest that might be relevant to the contents of this manuscript.

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Thaipitakwong, T., Aramwit, P. A Review of the Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Implications of Naturally Derived Dietary Supplements for Dyslipidemia. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 17, 27–35 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40256-016-0191-2

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