Policosinol, a substance used for its potential cholesterol-lowering effects, is derived from a waxy compound in sugar cane and other plants. Policosanol was discovered by Cuban researchers in the early 1990s and is approved as a cholesterol-lowering drug in more than 25 countries. Consult your doctor before using policosanol to treat a medical condition.
Multiple Dose Levels
Policosanol did not show cholesterol-lowering effects in a study of patients with high cholesterol published in the May 2006 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." In the German study, patients with levels of low density lipoprotein, LDL, the bad form of cholesterol greater than 150 mg/dL, took one of four dose levels of policosanol: 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg or 80 mg per day for 12 weeks. None of the policosanol doses showed cholesterol-reducing effects. The study was conducted at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Institute for Clinical Research, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Rotenburg an der Fulda, Germany.
No Effect
Researchers at the School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, North-West University, South Africa, reported that 20 mg doses of policosanol for 12 weeks had no significant effect on lipid levels in patients with elevated cholesterol or familial hypercholestrolemia -- an inherited condition that leads to elevated cholesterol levels. Small changes were noted in the elevated cholesterol group, but these were no different than in the control group that received a placebo substance. The study was published in the May 2006 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition."
Total Cholesterol
Policosanol significantly reduced total cholesterol levels in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 87 patients with moderately elevated cholesterol in a Croatian study published in the November 2005 issue of the journal "Lijecnicki Vjesnik." Study participants, ages 20 to 78, took 10 mg of policosanol per day for eight weeks. Aside from reducing total cholesterol, policosanol increased levels of apolipoprotin A -- the major protein component of high density lipoprotein, HDL, the good form of cholesterol. Policosanol was not effective at reducing triglycerides, or oxidized LDL, and did not raise HDL levels. Policosanol did not cause any adverse side effects in this study.
Policosanol vs. Stanols
A review of published research conducted at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University found that policosanol was more effective than plant stanols and sterols at reducing LDL cholesterol levels. In the report, which included more than 4,500 patients from 52 different studies, 3.4 g of stanols decreased LDL levels by 11 percent, while 12 mg per day of policosanol decreased LDL cholesterol by 23.7 percent. Policosanol was also found to exert a more favorable effect on total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides than plant sterols and stanols. The report was published in the February 2005 issue of the journal "Pharmacoptherapy."
References
- "JAMA"; Effect of Policosanol on Lipid Levels Among Patients with Hypercholesterolemia or Combined Hyperlipidemia: a Randomized Controlled Trial; H. Berthold, et al.; May 2006
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Effects of a Policosanol Supplement on Serum Lipid Concentrations in Hypercholesterolaemic and Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemic Subjects; A. Greyling A, et al.; May 2006
- "Lijecnicki Vjesnik"; A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of the Antilipemic Efficacy and Tolerability of Food Supplement Policosanol in Patients with Moderate Hypercholesterolemia; E. Tedeschi-Reiner, et al.; November 2005
- "Pharmacotherapy"; Meta-analysis of Natural Therapies for Hyperlipidemia: Plant Sterols and Stanols Versus Policosanol; J. Chen, et al.; February 2005
- "Critical Reviews in Food Science Nutrition"; Policosanols as Nutraceuticals: Fact or Fiction; C. Marinangeli, et al.; March 2010
