Serum vitamin D associates inversely with LDL cholesterol levels in Nigella sativa supplemented women

Objective: To investigate the variations and associations of serum LDL cholesterol and vitamin D (vitD) before and after the administration of Nigella sativa in women. Methodology: The study included 120 women with age range 51-60 years having LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) values of 90-120 mg/dL. They were supplemented with equal daily doses (1 gram/day) of the powder of Kalonji/Nigella sativa (NS) for 12 weeks. Serum LDL-C and vitD were determined pretreatment (PRT) and posttreatment (PST). Results: The levels of LDL-C, PRT vs. LDL-C, PST had highly significant difference. The results for VitD, PRT vs. VitD, PST indicated nonsignificant difference. The plot of LDL-C and vitD in PRT showed a weak and nonsignificant negative linear correlation. However, the plot of LDL-C and vitD in PST was strong and highly significant negative linear correlation. Conclusion: Administration of N. sativa showed mean decreased level of serum LDL-C and increase in vitD levels in women. However, further studies in healthy subjects and patients having various hyperlipidemic and other related disorders would be helpful for elucidating the diagnostic and therapeutic significance of NS. (author)