Paul and Kitty,

Here's another report on a natural method of reducing cholesterol, a product
called Sytrinol.

Again I'd like to have your comments.

Bob

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | May 11, 2004
Orange, tangerine peels could be better than drugs for lowering cholesterol

A compound found in the peels of citrus fruit has the potential to lower
cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs, and without side
effects,

[So what? Diet and exercise are even better proven to lower cholesterol (and
raise HDL) and they both have benefits on all other health parameters at the
same time! And they are less costly to boot! --Paul]


according to a study by U.S. and Canadian researchers.
A joint study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and KGK Synergize, a
Canadian nutraceutical company, identified a class of compounds isolated from
orange and tangerine peels that shows promise in animal studies as a potent,
natural alternative for lowering LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), without the
possible side effects, such as liver disease and muscle weakness, of
conventional cholesterol-lowering drugs.
The findings will be described in the May 12 print issue of the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed publication of the American
Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
The compounds, called polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), are similar to other
plant pigments found in citrus fruits that have been increasingly linked to
health benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease and
inflammation. The study is believed to be the first to show that PMFs can lower
cholesterol, the researchers say.

"Our study has shown that PMFs have the most potent cholesterol-lowering
effect of any other citrus flavonoid," says Elzbieta Kurowska, Ph.D., lead
investigator of the study and vice president of research at KGK Synergize in
Ontario, Canada. "We believe that PMFs have the potential to rival and even
beat the cholesterol-lowering effect of some prescription drugs, without the
risk of side effects."
PMFs are found in a variety of citrus fruits. The most common citrus PMFs,
tangeretin and nobiletin, are found in the peels of tangerines and oranges.
They are also found in smaller amounts in the juices of these fruits.
Using hamster models with diet-induced high cholesterol, the researchers
showed that feeding them food containing 1 percent PMFs lowered levels of LDL
cholesterol by 32 to 40 percent.
Previous animal studies by others have shown that similar flavonoids,
particularly hesperidin from oranges and naringin from grapefruit, also may have
the ability to lower cholesterol, although not as effectively as PMFs, according
to Kurowska.
Treatment with PMFs did not appear to have any effect on levels of HDL
cholesterol, or good cholesterol, the researcher says. No negative side effects
were seen in the animals that were fed the compounds, she adds.

The researchers are currently exploring the compound's mechanism of action
on cholesterol metabolism. They now suspect, based on early results in cell
and animal studies, that it works by inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol
and triglycerides inside the liver.
A long-term human study of the effect of PMFs on high LDL cholesterol is now
in progress. While drinking citrus fruits is full of health benefits, taking
PMF supplements could be an easier way to lower cholesterol, since a person
would have to drink 20 or more cups a day of orange or tangerine juice to have
a therapeutic effect, Kurowska estimates.
KGK Synergize already has developed a nutrition supplement containing PMFs
combined with a form of vitamin E that seems to enhance the compound's effect,
according to Kurowska. Marketed as a cholesterol-lowering agent under the
trade name SytrinolTM, the supplement recently became available in the U.S.
USDA's Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven, Fla., and
KGK Synergize Inc. provided funding for this study.

[I think that it is worth stating here that neither Kitty nor I take any of our
supplements for the purpose of cholesterol modification. While it is true that
some of them do have cholesterol modifying effects that is not our purpose for
taking any of them. This is because we know that all necessary positive
modifications of cholesterol can best be achieved by diet and exercise alone.
--Paul]

[For those out there who have blood tests showing triglycerides high, LDL high
and HDL low, I suggest that they take a good look at themselves in a full-length
mirror. Is the image they see of a person lean and trim? If not, then a low
calorie, low carb, low saturated fat, nutritionally dense diet and regular
moderate exercise is their best avenue for getting those cholesterol-related
parameters in the right range.
Such diet and exercise regimens do not require high cost, extensive time or
ascetic habits - see our personal pages for examples.
http://morelife.org/personal/health/dietregimen.html
http://morelife.org/personal/health/physacts.html

And those with additional diet and exercise suggestions from their own "success
stories" are welcome to post them. **Kitty]