A new study reveals that branded botanical ingredient Bergacyn FF® is effective not only in providing liver support but also in aiding weight loss.   

In a new randomised clinical trial of non-diabetic subjects older than 50 years, patented product Bergacyn FF® – a clean-label, pure botanical complex developed by New Jersey based DolCas Biotech LLC –  demonstrated the ability to help reduce liver fat and body weight.

The hallmark study follows previous investigations that have supported assertions of Bergacyn’s ability to lower liver fat levels in subjects with diabetes, as well as providing the individuals with extra cardioprotective support.

A lifestyle-linked condition

Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL, or steatosis), alongside the disease states that it propagates, currently affects upwards of two billion people worldwide – more people than in China and the US combined. 

Although NAFLD can occur at any age, people are more likely to develop it as they age, with those in the age group of 40-60 years as a majority. It is an epidemic that people are only beginning to become aware of, with its lack of early symptoms and its complicating role in many chronic diseases positioning the condition as one with the potential to cripple economies.

NAFL is a lifestyle-linked process, driven by the excess consumption of fat, sugar and calories, as well as a sedentary lifestyle. Complications are extensive, affecting systems beyond the liver, including the heart and vascular systems and kidneys. It significantly impacts the onset and progression of diabetes. Weight loss and lifestyle change are the best ways to modulate the development and progression of fatty liver, but compliance is often an issue.

Impressive outcomes of the study

The study was conducted at the University Magna Grecia in Catanzaro, Italy, and published in August this year in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology. A total of 102 mildly hypercholesterolemic patients – aged 35-70 and with liver steatosis – were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial and randomised to receive 600 mg/d of either Bergacyn FF or a maltodextrin-based placebo. As dietary changes and resultant weight loss are known to contribute to liver-fat regression, overweight and obese subjects in both groups were assigned the task of reducing their intake by 400-500 calories per day. 

Results of the study, completed by 86 subjects, revealed that liver fat accumulation was reduced by 9 per cent (p< 0.05) over the placebo group. Bergacyn FF also produced a significant positive factor in its potential to regress the progression of fatty liver, especially considering that the cutoffs for each stage differ by wide margins. Notably, in those subjects over 50 years of age, the reduction in liver fat was even more remarkable at 15 per cent (p<0.05) greater than the placebo and was attributed solely to Bergacyn FF, and not the dietary changes. Subgroup analyses showed that Bergacyn FF produced more profound benefits over placebo – not only for subjects older than 50, but for women and overweight/obese persons having an android ‘apple’-shape phenotype.

“An unexpected outcome of the study was Bergacyn’s impact on weight loss,” remarks Dr. Shavon Jackson-Michel, Director of Medical & Scientific Affairs of DolCas Biotech. “The absolute difference made by Bergacyn FF for body weight reductions over placebo was approximately 4lbs (1.8kg). The total weight loss in the Bergacyn FF group over 12 weeks fell just under 10lbs (4.5kg). The new research supports the traditional wisdom of botanical synergism and how standardised ingredient formulations could be the best way forward for multifactorial processes such as NAFL.”

Clean-label powerhouse blend of botanical extracts

Bergacyn FF, formally marketed as Bergacyn®, combines bergamot fibres to synergise the ingredient blend and contribute to its free-flow in hopper-to-bottle processing. Bergamot fibres at 50-per-cent concentration round out the unique profile of bergamot polyphenols and artichoke sesquiterpenes (including cynaropicrin) in their ability to target fat accumulation in the liver and control the inflammatory process that results from its infiltration.

Bergacyn FF, is a clean-label powerhouse blend of botanical extracts derived from the Italian bergamot citrus fruit (Citrus bergamia) and the wild Italian artichoke thistle leaf (Cynara cardunculus sylvestris). The new patented formulation is free of any solvents or excipients and the Bergamot juice and pulp serve as upcycled source materials to provide the polyphenols and fibre in Bergacyn FF. It enables a very-low effective dose, compared to other nutraceutical interventions targeting the fatty liver process.

For more details on Bergacyn FF and DolCas Biotech LLC’s other products, visit: http://dolcas-biotech.com