Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel hydro alcoholic extract ameliorates cardiovascular risk factors in obese women with dyslipidemia: A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled pilot study

Abstract

IntroductionDyslipidemia is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have shown that pomegranate and its polyphenols may have hypolipidemic effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pomegranate peel extract on some cardiovascular risk factors in patients with dyslipidemia. MethodsThirty eight obese women (30< body mass index (BMI) >35kg/m2) with dyslipidemia were allocated into two groups receiving two 500mg pomegranate peel extract (n=19) or placebo (n=19) daily for 8 weeks. Serum lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG)), Blood Pressure(BP), serum high sensitive-C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and BMIwere measured. ResultsPomegranate peel extract significantly decreased post treatment levels of serum TC (p=0.014), LDL-C (p=0.021), and TG (p=0.036) and increased HDL-C (p=0.020)compared to baseline. There was a significant decrease in Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) levels and hs-CRP in pomegranate peel group whereas Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) levels and BMI remained unchanged after intervention. No significant changes were seen in terms of all post treatment values for the placebo group at the end of trial (p>0.05). After adjusting for the baseline values, energy intake and weight changes, there were significant differences in post-treatment values between the two groups except in serum concentrations of HDL-C, DBP and BMI. ConclusionsCurrent study showed a positive effect of pomegranate peel extract in improving cardiovascular risk factors in obese women with dyslipidemia.