Bosbessen i.p.v. medicijnen voor lager cholesterol*

Een antioxidant in bosbessen en druiven verlaagt de cholesterolwaarden net zo effectief als medicijnen blijkt uit een wetenschappelijk onderzoek. De antioxidant die naar voren kwam is pterostilbene, een stof die nog beter dan de al bekende antioxidant reservatrol (in druiven en rode wijn) het cholesterol verlaagt. Uit eerder onderzoek was al gebleken dat pterostilbene ook beschermt tegen diabetes en kanker bestrijdt.

An antioxidant found in blueberries and grapes appears to lower cholesterol as effectively as a commercial drug, according to preliminary study findings released Monday.

The investigators found that the blueberry compound, called pterostilbene, activates a cellular structure that helps lower cholesterol -- the same mode of action as the cholesterol-lowering drug ciprofibrate, sold under the name Lipanor.

These findings suggest that the natural compound may lower cholesterol just as well as this and other drugs, study author Dr. Agnes M. Rimando told.

The cellular structure targeted by pterostilbene, known as the PPAR-alpha receptor, "is actually the target site for a lot of lipid-lowering drugs," she said.

As a bonus, Rimando added that she has not yet found any side effects associated with pterostilbene. "So far, in preliminary studies, it didn't show any toxicity," she said.

Rimando, who presented her findings during the 228th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, said she is currently investigating how much pterostilbene people would have to eat in order to get its anti-cholesterol benefits.

"Hopefully, within the next 6 months, I can tell the world 'this is how much you need to eat,'" the researcher, who is based at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Mississippi, said in an interview.

During the study, Rimando and her colleagues exposed rat cells to four blueberry compounds, and noted which compounds appeared to activate the PPAR-alpha receptor. The researchers found that the winner was pterostilbene, which activated the receptor as much as ciprofibrate.

Pterostilbene also appeared more effective than resveratrol, another antioxidant found in grapes and red wine, which studies have suggested may also lower cholesterol.

The blueberry compound may also do more than just lower cholesterol, Rimando said, for it appears to mimic the action of ciprofibrate, which also lowers triglycerides. Moreover, previous research has suggested that pterostilbene may protect against diabetes and help fight cancer. (aug. 2004)

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