Bergamot extract comes from the bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia) and is rich in citrus polyphenols such as naringin. It is sold to support cholesterol and blood sugar, and the human trials so far are small.
Also known as: Citrus bergamia, bergamot polyphenolic fraction, BPF.
Bergamot has no intake value or upper limit, and there is no NIH fact sheet for it. The rosuvastatin study (Gliozzi 2013) used 1,000 mg a day of bergamot polyphenolic fraction for 30 days. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
In a 30-day open-label study of 77 people with high LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (Gliozzi 2013), bergamot polyphenolic fraction alone lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with the control group, and adding it to rosuvastatin lowered lipids more than rosuvastatin alone. In a placebo-controlled trial of 60 people with type 2 diabetes and high blood lipids (Mollace 2019), two bergamot formulations lowered fasting blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol.
Both trials were small, short and came from the same university group in Italy, and the first was not blinded. If you take a statin or diabetes medicine, tell your prescriber before adding bergamot, and keep your usual lab checks.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for bergamot extract that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Mollace 2019 measured naringin, its main component, and found a phytosome form was absorbed at least 2.5 times better, but gave no half-life.
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