Effects of Ferulic Acid Supplementation on Lipid Profiles, Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Status in Hypercholesterolemic Subjects

Abstract

Ferulic acid is the most abundant phenolic compound found in vegetables and cereal grains. In vitro and animal studies have shown that ferulic acid has anti‐hyperlipidemic, anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ferulic acid supplementation on lipid profiles, oxidative stress, LDL‐C oxidation and inflammatory status in hypercholesterolemia subjects. The study design was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. Volunteers with hypercholesterolemic were randomly divided into 2 groups. The treatment group (n = 24) was given ferulic acid and the control group (n = 24) was provided placebo 500 mg twice a day for 6 weeks. Ferulic acid supplementation demonstrated a statistically significant decrease of total cholesterol (8.1%), LDL‐C (9.3%), triglyceride (12.1%) and increase of HDL‐C (4.3%) compared with the placebo group. Ferulic acid also significantly decreased d‐ROMs (11.7%), MDA (24.5%) and increased BAP (11.8%), biomarkers of oxidative stress. Moreover, oxidized LDL‐C was significantly decreased in the ferulic acid group (7.1%) compared with the placebo group. In addition, ferulic acid supplementation demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of the inflammatory markers, hs‐CRP (32.66%) and TNF‐alpha (13.06%). These data suggest that ferulic acid supplementation could decrease the risk factors of cardiovascular disease. (Supported by National Research Council of Thailand)