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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to the clusters of risk factors that lead to increased episodes of cardiovascular disease. These risk factors include obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, etc. MetS is becoming more common in Hong Kong, with a prevalence of 19.2% in male, and 23.2% in female aged 50 years or above.
Since the pathogenesis of MetS has multiple metabolic origins, pharmacological approaches often consist of different drugs which target at individual risk factors: lipid-lowering drugs, antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs or weight-loss agents. Yet, this combination of drugs would pose various side effects. Functional foods or nutraceuticals have therefore attracted great attention. The aim of this project is to develop a multi-targeted herbal health supplement for the management of MetS, focusing on obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and NAFLD.
Uniqueness and Competitive Advantages:
- The multi-targeted herbal health supplement is developed through evidence-based research
- Experiments are performed to identify the efficacy and mechanism of action of these selected herbs using in vitro and in vivo platforms
- Results obtained will allow the initiation of a pilot clinical trial on patients with MetS in Hong Kong