Lee Swanson Research Update

New Study Emphasizes Milk Thistle’s Heart-healthy Benefits

An extract of milk thistle reduced the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by up to 86%, according to a study conducted by researchers in Arkansas.

The in vitro study found that the milk thistle extract protected LDL cholesterol against oxidation in a dose-dependent manner, a result with potentially important implications since the oxidative modification of LDL has been reported to play a major role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and subsequently cardiovascular disease.

Researchers tested both a crude extract and purified forms of the major flavonolignan compounds that make up silymarin, the key flavonone in milk thistle, including silichristin (SC), silidianin (SD), silibinin (SBN) and isosilibinin (IS).

At doses of the milk thistle extract of 38, 75, 150 and 300 micromoles, LDL oxidation was inhibited by 18%, 73%, 82% and 86%, respectively. The individual flavonolignans were also associated with reductions in LDL oxidation with 300 micromole doses of SC, SD, SBN and IS reducing LDL oxidation by 60%, 28.1%, 60% and 30.1%, respectively.

Researchers concluded: “These results showed that silymarin and SBN, likely through antioxidant and free radical scavenging mechanisms of action, inhibit the generation of oxidized LDL.”

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56(11):3966-3972, 2008

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