Effect of Zinc Supplementation as an Adjunct to Atorvastatin on Lipid Profile in Hyperlipidemic Patients: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: ‘Hyperlipidemia’ is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease risk, and while medications such as statins are widely used, optimal lipid parameters are not always reached. Zinc is proposed to help with lipid metabolism. Objective: This study aimed to find out how zinc supplementation affects cholesterol levels in patients with high lipid levels already being treated with atorvastatin. Materials and Method: This study was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), Dhaka, in 92 hyperlipidemic patients aged between 18–75 years and excluding diabetic hyperlipidemia patients to avoid confounding effect. Subjects were randomized to receive zinc supplementation (30 mg/day) or placebo with atorvastatin for 8 weeks. The lipid profiles i.e. total cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides, were obtained at baseline and after 8 weeks .The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25 considering p as 0.05). Results: The initial demographic and lipid parameters were similar across the groups (p > 0.05). At the end of 8 weeks, total cholesterol and triglycerides values were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to controls (p 0.05). Lipids parameters were significantly lower in both groups (p for all parameters < 0.001) after the treatment when analyzed within-group. Importantly, this shows that the intervention group had a significantly greater decrease in triglyceride levels compared to the control group. Conclusion: Adding zinc to atorvastatin therapy significantly lowers triglycerides in people with high cholesterol. Additional long-term studies are required to validate clinical advantages.

J Med Coll Women Hosp.2026; 22(2): 141-147