Hypercholesterolemia and Hyperlipidemia

Very-low carbohydrate ketogenic diets can dramatically increase blood cholesterol levels, particularly in normal-weight people, for reasons that are not well understood. This study will enroll normal-weight adults, will identify "responders" who develop high cholesterol on a ketogenic diet, and will measure rates of production and removal of certain types of cholesterol-carrying particles called lipoproteins in responders. The results will clarify the mechanism by which a ketogenic diet can cause high cholesterol in certain susceptible people.

A single-center, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study followed by an open-label phase to evaluate the effects of a new formulation of a supplement on lipid profile in subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia who are non-responsive to the Mediterranean diet. The study population consists of 99 subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia who are non-responsive to the Mediterranean diet. The participants will be divided into three groups: Group A: Test Product A (study product) Group B: Test Product B (comparative product) Placebo group: placebo The following visits are scheduled during the study: T-2 (day -35) - Screening visit, 5 weeks before T0 T-1 (day -28) - Enrollment visit, 4 weeks before T0 T0 (day 0) - Randomization visit, baseline T1 (day 56) - Interim visit, 8 weeks after T0 T2 (day 112) - Final visit, 16 weeks after T0 After the first 8 weeks of the study (double-blind), all three groups will continue with only Product A for an additional 8 weeks. This experimental design aims to highlight whether any differences between Test Product A and Test Product B observed during the first 8 weeks can be minimized when both arms receive the same treatment. Additionally, the effect of Product A will be observed at 8 and 16 weeks, thus providing efficacy data over a longer treatment period. This may also provide insights into the potential achievement of a plateau. Regarding the placebo group, it will be possible to distinguish the effect of the diet alone from the combined effect of the diet and supplementation with Test Product A.