Study of the Consumption of a Food Supplement in a Group of Healthy People

Bioactive supplements might display relevant therapeutic properties according to validated molecular effects. Herein, the effect of a supplement based on diterpenes from Rosmarinus Officinalis L. and alkylglycerols with proven properties against signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis is evaluated. The biological and molecular effects of this supplement, mainly based on expected effects on immune and genetic modulatory properties is investigated. For this purpose, 60 healthy volunteers were enrolled in a six week, double-blind, randomized and parallel pilot study with two study arms -rosemary and alkylglycerol containing capsules and control capsules. The study includes the analysis of (1) immunological parameters (ex vivo cytokine profile of LPS stimulated PBMC and PBMC phenotyping by cluster differentiation (CD) markers), (2) regulation of the expression of genes linked to immuno-modulation, inflammation, oxidative stress response and cancer, and (3) the analysis of correlation of selected genetic variants (SNPs) with the differential responses among individuals.