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Bgm6.5
Bergamot Research
Too few graded studies
43 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Too few graded studies
Bergamot doesn't have enough studies with structured effect-size data yet to pool a verdict. Browse the studies below for individual findings.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 2011–2026 with a typical study size of 90 participants.
Based on 43 studies · 3 meta-analyses · 28 RCTs · 13,966 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
By outcome
Cholesterol & lipidsImproved cholesterol ratios and cardiovascular markers within 4-8 weeks · 4-8 weeks
Too few graded studies36 studies
Weight management
Too few graded studies12 studies
Inflammation
Too few graded studies8 studies
Anxiety & stress
Too few graded studies6 studies
Heart & blood pressureImproved cholesterol ratios and cardiovascular markers within 4-8 weeks · 4-8 weeks
In plain English: Promising findings reveal an alternative therapeutic option in dyslipidemia management with bergamot supplementation, especially in subjects with statins intolerance.
Lamiquiz-Moneo I et al. · Critical reviews in food science and nutrition (2020)
Although statins can reduce LDLc by 50-60%, less than 20% of patients with high risk of CVD achieve LDL targets.
Based on data, 75% of studies showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDLc.
The decrease in total cholesterol varied from 12.3% to 31.3%, from 7.6% to 40.8% in LDLc and from 11.5% to 39.5% in triglycerides.
In plain English: The artichoke leaf extract and virgin olive oil appear to be particularly interesting, while bergamot extract needs further research and the effect of red yeast rice seems to be limited to patients with previous myocardial infarction.
Rondanelli M et al. · BioMed research international (2016)
Systematic review of studies from 1958 to 2016 on artichoke, bergamot, olive oil and red yeast rice for raising HDL cholesterol in people with dyslipidaemia.
Artichoke leaf extract and virgin olive oil looked most promising. Bergamot extract needs further research, and the red yeast rice effect seemed limited to people with a previous heart attack.
In plain English: This review summarizes the mechanisms of action and available clinical evidence and outlines potential indications for bergamot use in selected patient subgroups.
Carpenito M, Coletti F, Muscoli S, Guarino L, Di Cristo A, Cammalleri V, Mega S, Emerenziani S, Cicala M, Fanali C, Ussia GP, Grigioni F. · Nutrients (2025)
Derived from food sources, they represent a promising adjunctive or alternative therapeutic option in specific clinical contexts, particularly in individuals with mild dyslipidemia or those who fail to achieve lipid targets despite optimal pharmacological treatment.
Bergamot-alongside its lipid-lowering effects-has demonstrated multiple additional properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and vascular benefits.
While lipid effects are supported by several clinical studies, evidence for vascular and inflammatory pathways is based mainly on preclinical studies.
In plain English: Their ability to boost chemotherapy's effectiveness and safety while lessening side effects and offering combined advantages is also explored.
Altomare C, Macrì R, Serra M, Ussia S, Ritorto G, Maiuolo J, Muscoli C, Perri E, Mollace V. · Nutrients (2025)
Promising results show that key compounds such as bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF), cynaropicrin, oleuropein, quercetin, resveratrol, and serotonin can modulate oxidative stress, inflammation, the tumor microenvironment, the cell cycle, and drug resistance.
A significant observation is that many of these substances demonstrate dual dose-dependent activity; they function as antioxidants in healthy cells but induce pro-oxidant and pro-apoptotic effects in cancerous cells.
Their ability to boost chemotherapy's effectiveness and safety while lessening side effects and offering combined advantages is also explored.
In plain English: Therefore, this review aims to gather the latest literature supporting the beneficial role of both bergamot derivatives and waste products in different models of inflammatory-based diseases, thus highlighting the great potentiality of a waste re-evaluation perspective.
Russo C, Lombardo GE, Bruschetta G, Rapisarda A, Maugeri A, Navarra M. · Nutrients (2024)
Based on this, the need for novel agents endowed with anti-inflammatory effects prompted to search potential candidates also within the plant kingdom, being recognized as a source of molecules currently employed in several therapeutical areas.
Indeed, the ever-growing evidence on the anti-inflammatory properties of dietary polyphenols traced the route towards the study of flavonoid-rich sources, such as Citrus bergamia (bergamot) and its derivatives.
Interestingly, the recent paradigm of the circular economy has promoted the valorization of Citrus fruit waste and, in regard to bergamot, it brought to light new evidence corroborating the anti-inflammatory potential of bergamot byproducts, thus increasing the scientific knowledge in this field.
In plain English: However, these observed effects are mainly based on very-low-certainty evidence, largely from studies at high risk of bias, and should not be interpreted as establishing the clinical efficacy of bergamot.
Chambari M, Mardani H, Roshandel M, Rafiei H, Linsenmeyer W, Jafari M, Ulaganathan V, Jafari A. · Food science & nutrition (2026)
Risk-of-bias assessment classified six trials as poor, two as fair, and one as good.
According to the GRADE assessment, the certainty of evidence ranged from low to very low for all outcomes.
Bergamot supplementation is associated with modest improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, including lipid profile, glycemic control, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference, in adults with dyslipidemia or metabolic syndrome.
10Serum lipid profile and inflammatory parametersRCTCited 9×n=118 · medium study2022
In plain English: The evaluated nutraceutical combination did not change serum lipid profile and inflammatory parameters, at least not with the daily dose applied in the present study.
Protic O et al. · Nutrients (2022)
Borderline
Compared to the placebo, at 6 and 12 weeks, NC did not significantly reduce total cholesterol (p = 0.083), LDL cholesterol (p = 0.150), and triglycerides (p = 0.822).
No changes were found in hs-CRP (p = 0.179), interleukin-32 (p = 0.587), interleukin-38 (p = 0.930), miR-21 (p = 0.275), miR-126 (p = 0.718), miR-146a (p = 0.206), myoglobin (p = 0.164), and creatine kinase (p = 0.376).
The evaluated nutraceutical combination did not change serum lipid profile and inflammatory parameters, at least not with the daily dose applied in the present study.
11Cardiometabolic risk factorsRCTCited 6×n=90 · small study2024
In plain English: Overall, these findings support the use of the tested dietary supplement containing dry extracts of bergamot and artichoke as a safe and effective approach for the prevention and management of a broad spectrum of cardiometabolic disorders.
Fogacci F et al. · Nutrients (2024)
Likely real
After 6 weeks, the active-treated group experienced significant improvements in levels of triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein B-100 (Apo B-100), and apolipoprotein AI (Apo AI) versus baseline.
Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C), and hs-CRP also significantly decreased in the active-treated group compared to both baseline and placebo.
Improvements in TC, LDL-C, Non-HDL-C, TG, fatty liver index (FLI), hs-CRP, and endothelial reactivity were also detected compared to placebo (p < 0.05 for all).