Nutr Res Pract.  2011 Feb;5(1):28-33.

Effects of daily quercetin-rich supplementation on cardiometabolic risks in male smokers

• Lee KH
• Park E
• Lee HJ
• Kim MO
• Cha YJ
• Kim JM
• Lee H
• Shin MJ

Abstract

Limited information from human studies indicates that dietary quercetin supplementation influences blood lipid profiles, glycemic response, and inflammatory status, collectively termed cardiometabolic risks. We tested the hypothesis that quercetin-rich supplementation, derived from onion peel extract, improves cardiometabolic risk components in healthy male smokers in a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled parallel design. Randomly assigned subjects were instructed to take either the placebo (n = 43) or 100 mg quercetin capsules each day (n = 49) for 10 weeks. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were measured, and blood lipids, glucose, interleukin-6, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) were determined at baseline and after 10 weeks of quercetin supplementation. Quercetin-rich supplementation significantly reduced serum concentrations of total cholesterol (P < 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (P < 0.01), whereas these effects were not shown in the placebo group. Furthermore, significant increases were observed in serum concentrations of HDL-cholesterol both in the placebo (P < 0.005) and quercetin-rich supplementation group (P < 0.001); however, changes in HDL-cholesterol were significantly greater in subjects receiving quercetin-rich supplementation than the placebo. Both systolic (P < 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.01) decreased significantly in the quercetin-rich supplementation group. Glucose concentrations decreased significantly after 10 weeks of quercetin-rich supplementation (P < 0.05). In contrast, no effects of quercetin-rich supplementation were observed for the inflammatory markers-IL-6 and sVCAM-1. Daily quercetin-rich supplementation from onion peel extract improved blood lipid profiles, glucose, and blood pressure, suggesting a beneficial role for quercetin as a preventive measure against cardiovascular risk.

Keyword

Quercetin; onion; cardiometabolic risks; dyslipidemia; inflammation

MeSH Terms

Blood Pressure
Capsules
Cholesterol
Dyslipidemias
Glucose
Humans
Inflammation
Interleukin-6
Male
Onions
Quercetin
Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
Capsules
Cholesterol
Glucose
Interleukin-6
Quercetin
Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

Reference

1. Knekt P, Jarvinen R, Reunanen A, Maatela J. Flavonoid intake and coronary mortality in Finland: a cohort study. BMJ. 1996. 312:478–481.

2. Geleijnse JM, Launer LJ, Van der Kuip DA, Hofman A, Witteman JC. Inverse association of tea and flavonoid intakes with incident myocardial infarction: the Rotterdam Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002. 75:880–886.

3. Sesso HD, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Hennekens CH. Coffee and tea intake and the risk of myocardial infarction. Am J Epidemiol. 1999. 149:162–167.

4. Arts IC, Hollman PC. Polyphenols and disease risk in epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005. 81:317S–325S.

5. Erdman JW Jr, Balentine D, Arab L, Beecher G, Dwyer JT, Folts J, Harnly J, Hollman P, Keen CL, Mazza G, Messina M, Scalbert A, Vita J, Williamson G, Burrowes J. Flavonoids and heart health: proceedings of the ILSI North America Flavonoids Workshop, May 31-June 1, 2005, Washington, DC. J Nutr. 2007. 137:718S–737S.

6. Formica JV, Regelson W. Review of the biology of Quercetin and related bioflavonoids. Food Chem Toxicol. 1995. 33:1061–1080.

7. Cai Q, Rahn RO, Zhang R. Dietary flavonoids, quercetin, luteolin and genistein, reduce oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation and quench free radicals. Cancer Lett. 1997. 119:99–107.

8. Duthie SJ, Collins AR, Duthie GG, Dobson VL. Quercetin and myricetin protect against hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage (strand breaks and oxidized pyrimidines) in human lymphocytes. Mutat Res. 1997. 393:223–231.

9. Noroozi M, Angerson WJ, Lean ME. Effects of flavonoids and vitamin C on oxidative DNA damage to human lymphocytes. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998. 67:1210–1218.

10. Odbayar TO, Badamhand D, Kimura T, Takashi Y, Tsushida T, Ide T. Comparative studies of some phenolic compounds (quercetin, rutin, and ferulic acid) affecting hepatic fatty acid synthesis in mice. J Agric Food Chem. 2006. 54:8261–8265.

11. Kamada C, da Silva EL, Ohnishi-Kameyama M, Moon JH, Terao J. Attenuation of lipid peroxidation and hyperlipidemia by quercetin glucoside in the aorta of high cholesterol-fed rabbit. Free Radic Res. 2005. 39:185–194.

12. Igarashi K, Ohmuma M. Effects of isorhamnetin, rhamnetin, and quercetin on the concentrations of cholesterol and lipoperoxide in the serum and liver and on the blood and liver antioxidative enzyme activities of rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1995. 59:595–601.

13. Duarte J, Pérez-Palencia R, Vargas F, Ocete MA, Pérez-Vizcaino F, Zarzuelo A, Tamargo J. Antihypertensive effects of the flavonoid quercetin in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Br J Pharmacol. 2001. 133:117–124.

14. Manjeet K R, Ghosh B. Quercetin inhibits LPS-induced nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in murine macrophages. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1999. 21:435–443.

15. Nair MP, Mahajan S, Reynolds JL, Aalinkeel R, Nair H, Schwartz SA, Kandaswami C. The flavonoid quercetin inhibits proinflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor alpha) gene expression in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells via modulation of the NF-kappa beta system. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2006. 13:319–328.

16. Hubbard GP, Stevens JM, Cicmil M, Sage T, Jordan PA, Williams CM, Lovegrove JA, Gibbins JM. Quercetin inhibits collagen-stimulated platelet activation through inhibition of multiple components of the glycoprotein VI signaling pathway. J Thromb Haemost. 2003. 1:1079–1088.

17. Williamson G, Manach C. Bioavailability and bioefficacy of polyphenols in humans II Review of 93 intervention studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005. 81:243S–255S.

18. Ministry of Health & Welfare. Korean food composition table. 1996. Seoul:

19. National Rural Living Science Institute. Food composition table. 1996. 5th Revision. Suwon:

20. Kirk EP, Klein S. Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the cardiometabolic syndrome. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2009. 11:761–765.

21. Wilson PW, Meigs JB. Cardiometabolic risk: a Framingham perspective. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008. 32:Suppl 2. S17–S20.

22. Knekt P, Kumpulainen J, Järvinen R, Rissanen H, Heliövaara M, Reunanen A, Hakulinen T, Aromaa A. Flavonoid intake and risk of chronic diseases. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002. 76:560–568.

23. Gnoni GV, Paglialonga G, Siculella L. Quercetin inhibits fatty acid and triacylglycerol synthesis in rat-liver cells. Eur J Clin Invest. 2009. 39:761–768.

24. Glässer G, Graefe EU, Struck F, Veit M, Gebhardt R. Comparison of antioxidative capacities and inhibitory effects on cholesterol biosynthesis of quercetin and potential metabolites. Phytomedicine. 2002. 9:33–40.

25. Lee KH, Kim YH, Park EJ, Cho SR. Study on dietary habit and effect of onion powder supplementation on serum lipid levels in early diagnosed hyperlipidemic patients. J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2008. 37:561–570.

26. Castilla P, Echarri R, Dávalos A, Cerrato F, Ortega H, Teruel JL, Lucas MF, Gómez-Coronado D, Ortuño J, Lasunción MA. Concentrated red grape juice exerts antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and antiinflammatory effects in both hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006. 84:252–262.

27. Zern TL, Wood RJ, Greene C, West KL, Liu Y, Aggarwal D, Shachter NS, Fernandez ML. Grape polyphenols exert a cardioprotective effect in pre- and postmenopausal women by lowering plasma lipids and reducing oxidative stress. J Nutr. 2005. 135:1911–1917.

28. Arai Y, Watanabe S, Kimira M, Shimoi K, Mochizuki R, Kinae N. Dietary intakes of flavonols, flavones and isoflavones by Japanese women and the inverse correlation between quercetin intake and plasma LDL cholesterol concentration. J Nutr. 2000. 130:2243–2250.

29. Egert S, Wolffram S, Bosy-Westphal A, Boesch-Saadatmandi C, Wagner AE, Frank J, Rimbach G, Mueller MJ. Daily quercetin supplementation dose-dependently increases plasma quercetin concentrations in healthy humans. J Nutr. 2008. 138:1615–1621.

30. Conquer JA, Maiani G, Azzini E, Raguzzini A, Holub BJ. Supplementation with quercetin markedly increases plasma quercetin concentration without effect on selected risk factors for heart disease in healthy subjects. J Nutr. 1998. 128:593–597.

31. Egert S, Bosy-Westphal A, Seiberl J, Kürbitz C, Settler U, Plachta-Danielzik S, Wagner AE, Frank J, Schrezenmeir J, Rimbach G, Wolffram S, Müller MJ. Quercetin reduces systolic blood pressure and plasma oxidised low-density lipoprotein concentrations in overweight subjects with a high-cardiovascular disease risk phenotype: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Br J Nutr. 2009. 102:1065–1074.

32. DeMarini DM. Genotoxicity of tobacco smoke and tobacco condensate: a review. Mutat Res. 2004. 567:447–474.

33. Talukder MA, Johnson WM, Varadharaj S, Lian J, Kearns PN, El-Mahdy MA, Liu X, Zweier JL. Chronic cigarette smoking causes hypertension, increased oxidative stress, impaired NO bioavailability, endothelial dysfunction, and cardiac remodeling in mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2011. 300:H388–H396.

34. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey Report. 2008. Seoul:

35. Tonstad S, Andrew Johnston J. Cardiovascular risks associated with smoking: A review for clinicians. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2006. 13:507–514.

36. Jalili T, Carlstrom J, Kim S, Freeman D, Jin H, Wu TC, Litwin SE, Symons JD. Quercetin-supplemented diets lower blood pressure and attenuate cardiac hypertrophy in rats with aortic constriction. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2006. 47:531–541.

37. García-Saura MF, Galisteo M, Villar IC, Bermejo A, Zarzuelo A, Vargas F, Duarte J. Effects of chronic quercetin treatment in experimental renovascular hypertension. Mol Cell Biochem. 2005. 270:147–155.

38. Edwards RL, Lyon T, Litwin SE, Rabovsky A, Symons JD, Jalili T. Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. J Nutr. 2007. 137:2405–2411.

39. Coskun O, Kanter M, Korkmaz A, Oter S. Quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant, prevents and protects streptozotocin-induced oxidative stress and beta-cell damage in rat pancreas. Pharmacol Res. 2005. 51:117–123.

40. Oberley LW. Free radicals and diabetes. Free Radic Biol Med. 1988. 5:113–124.

41. Rivera L, Morón R, Sánchez M, Zarzuelo A, Galisteo M. Quercetin ameliorates metabolic syndrome and improves the inflammatory status in obese Zucker rats. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008. 16:2081–2087.