Should We Be Good SPORTs About Supplements for Cholesterol?

Authors:
Kaitlyn Phillips, PharmD
Lindsey Pitt, PharmD
Anna Love, PharmD, BCACP

Reviewers:
Rick Hess, PharmD, BCACP
Stuart T Haines, PharmD, BCACP, BCPS

Citation:
Laffin LJ, Bruemmer D, Garcia M, et. al.  Comparative Effects of Low-Dose Rosuvastatin, Placebo, and Dietary Supplements on Lipids and Inflammatory Biomarkers. J Am Coll Cardiol 2023; 81(1): 1-12

The Problem

Can supplements marketed for cardiovascular health be used in place of statin therapy? Health professionals have long been wary of nutraceuticals and dietary supplements due to the lack of safety and efficacy regulations.¹ Patients, on the other hand, often believe supplements are safer than prescription products.² In fact, the majority of patients believe supplements are as or more effective than statins. Given this wide gap in patient beliefs compared with standards of clinical practice, the SPORT trial attempts to provide robust data, to practitioners and patients, on how common supplements perform compared to statin therapy.