Metabolic Syndrome
Conditions
Keywords
garlic, ct angiography, atherosclerosis, carotid IMT
Brief summary
The investigators will be assessing the effect of Aged Garlic Extract on the coronary arteries. The investigators will enroll patients in a double blind study, where half the patients will receive placebo, and have the patients undergo a series of tests of plaque (CT scan of the heart, carotid ultrasound) and follow the patients on the drug or placebo and then repeat the tests and blood work at the end of one year. The investigators will assess if being on aged garlic extract adds any benefit to plaque in the coronary or neck arteries. The investigators will also assess the effect of aged garlic extract on markers of inflammation. Patients will receive free drug, free testing and be compensated, and learn more about their heart and neck arteries. if successful, more patients can use this drug to benefit their health. The harms include the radiation from the CT scan and the medication, which has mild side effects.
Detailed description
The investigators will be assessing the effect of Aged Garlic Extract on the coronary arteries. The investigators will enroll patients in a double blind study, where half the patients will receive placebo, and have the patients undergo a series of tests of plaque (CT scan of the heart, carotid ultrasound) and follow the patients on the drug or placebo and then repeat the tests and blood work at the end of one year. The investigators will assess if being on aged garlic extract adds any benefit to plaque in the coronary or neck arteries. The investigators will also assess the effect of aged garlic extract on markers of inflammation. Patients will receive free drug, free testing and be compensated, and learn more about their heart and neck arteries. if successful, more patients can use this drug to benefit their health. The harms include the radiation from the CT scan and the medication, which has mild side effects. The study will perform advanced CT angiography at baseline and follow up along with carotid intimal media thickness testing, to see if plaque is slowed down by Aged Garlic Extract
Interventions
2400 mg a day
DRUGplacebo
placebo
Sponsors
Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 40-65 years * Framingham risk score 6-20%, and at least 2 components of the metabolic syndrome as defined by ATP III Clinical Identification of the Metabolic Syndrome (including impaired fasting glucose \> 110 mg/dl, treated hypertension or SBP \> 130 or DBP \> 85 mm Hg, plasma triglycerides \> 150 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol \< 35 mg/dl for men or \< 40 mg/dl for women, abdominal obesity as defined as waist \> 40 in for men, \> 35 in for women) * Subjects must provide written informed consent after the scope and nature of the investigation has been explained to them * Subjects should be stable on their concomitant medications for at least 26 weeks prior to randomization * Calcium Score \> 20 at baseline * Subjects who agree to refrain from other anti-glycemic agent
Exclusion criteria
* A contraindication to AGE including: known hypersensitivity to drug. * Any unstable medical, psychiatric or substance abuse disorder that in the opinion of the investigator or principal investigator is likely to affect the subject's ability to complete the study or precludes the subject's participation in the study * Weight in excess of 300 pounds * Bleeding disorder * History of known coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, stroke or life-threatening arrhythmia within the prior six months * NYHA Class II- IV heart failure * History of malignancy within the last 5 years (other than skin cancer) or evidence of active cancer which would require concomitant cancer chemotherapy * Serum creatinine \> 1.4 mg/dl * Diabetes Mellitus * Triglycerides \> 400 at visit 1 * Drug or alcohol abuse, or current intake of more than 14 standard drinks per week * Concurrent enrollment in another placebo-controlled trial * Partial ileal bypass or known gastrointestinal disease limiting drug absorption * Current diabetes or intake of anti-diabetic or other prohibited drug * Current tobacco use * Current use of anticoagulants (except for anti-platelet agents) * Renal failure * History of hypertensive encephalopathy or cerebrovascular accident * Hematological or biochemical values at screening outside the reference ranges considered as clinically significant in the opinion of the investigator or PI
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CT Angiography Plaque | baseline to 1 year | we will measure low attenuation plaque at baseline (in volume) and then again at 1 year. we will assess if there is a reduction in low attenuation plaque volume (percent change from baseline), defined as \[followup-baseline\]/baseline x100%. Baseline was time zero, followup CT scan was 1 year. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Coronary Calcium | 1 year | Agatston score is a semi-automated tool to calculate a score based on the extent of coronary artery calcification detected by an unenhanced low-dose CT scan. The calculation is based on the weighted density score given to the highest attenuation value (HU) multiplied by area of the calcification speck. The grading of coronary artery disease (based on total calcium score) is as follows: no evidence of CAD: 0 calcium score, minimal: 1-10, mild: 11-100, moderate: 101-400, and severe: \>400 |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
all 65 participants were recruited
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Sugar Pill placebo
placebo: placebo patients were randomized to placebo | 33 |
| Aged Garlic Extract 2400 mg of aged garlic extract
aged garlic extract: 2400 mg a day patients randomized to aged garlic extract | 32 |
| Total | 65 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Aged Garlic Extract | Sugar Pill | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 32 Participants | 33 Participants | 65 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 56 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 8 | 57 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7 | 57 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7 |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 32 participants | 33 participants | 65 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 8 Participants | 9 Participants | 17 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 24 Participants | 24 Participants | 48 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 33 | 0 / 32 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 33 | 0 / 32 |
Outcome results
Primary
CT Angiography Plaque
we will measure low attenuation plaque at baseline (in volume) and then again at 1 year. we will assess if there is a reduction in low attenuation plaque volume (percent change from baseline), defined as \[followup-baseline\]/baseline x100%. Baseline was time zero, followup CT scan was 1 year.
Time frame: baseline to 1 year
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Pill | CT Angiography Plaque | 0.17 percent change of low attenuation plaque | Standard Deviation 1.97 |
| Aged Garlic Extract | CT Angiography Plaque | -1.53 percent change of low attenuation plaque | Standard Deviation 2.32 |
Secondary
Coronary Calcium
Agatston score is a semi-automated tool to calculate a score based on the extent of coronary artery calcification detected by an unenhanced low-dose CT scan. The calculation is based on the weighted density score given to the highest attenuation value (HU) multiplied by area of the calcification speck. The grading of coronary artery disease (based on total calcium score) is as follows: no evidence of CAD: 0 calcium score, minimal: 1-10, mild: 11-100, moderate: 101-400, and severe: \>400
Time frame: 1 year
Population: patients undergoing two calcium scores
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Pill | Coronary Calcium | 95 agatston units |
| Aged Garlic Extract | Coronary Calcium | 49 agatston units |