[Treatment with high-dose beta-pyridylcarbinol: results in patients with hypercholesterinemia]

The effect of lipid-lowering therapy with high-dose beta-pyridylcarbinol was studied in 16 patients with primary hyperlipoproteinemia of type IIa and type IIb. After a controlled dietary pretreatment period of at least 3 months, the patients received 900 mg beta-pyridylcarbinol (Ronicol 300) per day for 12 weeks. The patients were then given only dietary treatment for a further 6 weeks. Clinical and laboratory controls were carried out every month and included measurement of cholesterol and triglycerides in whole serum and in the isolated lipoprotein fractions after ultracentrifugation. In 2 patients the treatment had to be discontinued due to side effects (flush). The numerous "safety parameters" were not affected by the treatment. Total and LDL cholesterol were lowered by about 15% and total triglycerides by about 25%. The HDL cholesterol levels remained unchanged.