Statin dose reduction with complementary diet therapy: A pilot study of personalized medicine

Abstract

Objective: Statin intolerance, whether real or perceived, is a growing issue in clinical practice. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of reduced-dose statin therapy complemented with nutraceuticals.

Methods: First phase: Initially, 53 type 2 diabetic statin-treated patients received a supplementation with fish oil (1.7 g EPA + DHA/day), chocolate containing plant sterols (2.2 g/day), and green tea (two sachets/day) for 6 weeks. Second phase: "Good responders" to supplementation were identified after multivariate analysis (n = 10), and recruited for a pilot protocol of statin dose reduction. "Good responders" were then provided with supplementation for 12 weeks: standard statin therapy was kept during the first 6 weeks and reduced by 50% from weeks 6-12.

Results: First phase: After 6 weeks of supplementation, plasma LDL-C (-13.7% ± 3.7, P = .002) and C-reactive protein (-35.5% ± 5.9, P = .03) were reduced. Analysis of lathosterol and campesterol in plasma suggested that intensity of LDL-C reduction was influenced by cholesterol absorption rate rather than its synthesis. Second phase: no difference was observed for plasma lipids, inflammation, cholesterol efflux capacity, or HDL particles after statin dose reduction when compared to standard therapy.

Conclusions: Although limited by the small sample size, our study demonstrates the potential for a new therapeutic approach combining lower statin dose and specific dietary compounds. Further studies should elucidate "good responders" profile as a tool for personalized medicine. This may be particularly helpful in the many patients with or at risk for CVD who cannot tolerate high dose statin therapy.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02732223.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Omega-3 fatty acids; Plant sterols; Polyphenols; Responders.

Figure 1

Baseline sterol profile (Mean ± SEM) of subgroups divided according to the intensity of LDL-C reduction (above or below the median; MED = −13%) after treatment with nutraceuticals. P values were obtained by T-test for independent groups. n = 23 in each group.