Phytotherapy approach to the treatment of dyslipidemia with the aim of preventing cardiovascular diseases

Dislipidemija označava patološko stanje koje se manifestira kao neravnoteža koncentracije lipida, odnosno povišene vrijednosti ukupnog i LDL-kolesterola te triglicerida i snižene vrijednosti HDLkolesterola. Predstavlja jednog od glavnih čimbenika razvoja ateroskleroze i s njome povezanih kardiovaskularnih bolesti. Poremećene koncentracije lipida čisti su primjer patološkog stanja nastalog kako lošim prehrambenim navikama, tako i lošeg stila života. U svrhu pronalaska potencijalnih fitopreparata za prevenciju i liječenje dislipidemije sa znanstveno potkrijepljenim dokazima, pretraživane su baze podataka PubMed, Cochrane i ScienceDirect. Fitoterapeutici proučavani u ovom diplomskom radu, crvena riža, češnjak, beta-glukani, artičoka, fitosteroli, omega-3 masne kiseline, berberin, soja i polikozanol, kroz pregledana istraživanja pokazala su pozitivne blagotvorne učinke na vrijednosti lipidnih parametara djelujući na više meta (inhibicija sinteze, inhibicija apsorpcije i povećano izlučivanje kolesterola) uz minimalne nuspojave ukoliko se primjenjuju sukladno preporukama. Osim na vrijednosti lipida, određeni fitoterapeutici pokazali su pozitivne učinke na sam kardiovaskularni sustav. Trenutni podaci iz istraživanja ukazuju na potencijalnu mogućnost primjene fitoterapeutika kao ključnog alata u poboljšanju koncentracija lipida u plazmi kod ispitanika s blagom do umjerenom dislipidemijom uz niski kardiovaskularni rizik, kao samostalni dodatak prehrani ili kao kombinacija sa standardnom farmakoterapijom te ih je kao takve potrebno dodatno istraživati kroz dobro dizajnirana klinička ispitivanja.Dyslipidaemia is a pathological condition that manifests itself as an imbalance in the concentration of lipids. It includes increased values of total and LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and decreased values of HDL-cholesterol. Dyslipidaemia is one of the main factors in the appearance of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Imbalance od lipid concentrations is an example of a pathological condition caused by both bad nutrition habits and bad lifestyle. In order to find potential phytopreparations for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia with scientifically supported evidence were searched PubMed, Cochrane and ScienceDirect. The phytotherapeutics studied in this thesis, red rice, garlic, beta-glucans, artichoke, phytosterols, omega-3 fatty acids, berberine, soy and policosanol, through reviewed studies have shown positive beneficial effects on concetrations of lipid parameters by affecting on multiple targets (synthesis inhibition, inhibition of absorption and increased excretion of cholesterol) with minimal side effects if they are used according to recommendations. In addition to lipid values, certain phytotherapeutics have also shown positive effects on the cardiovascular system. Current research results indicate the potential possibility of using phytotherapeutics as a key in improving plasma lipid concentrations in patients with mild to moderate dyslipidemia with low cardiovascular risk, used as an independent dietary supplement or in combination with standard pharmacotherapy. Also, there is a need for new researches of potential phytotherapeutics through well-designed clinical trials