Policosanol: cholesterol : to lower, or not to lower...

Policosanol, a compound of fatty alcohols derived primarily from sugar cane or beeswax, is fast gaining a reputation as a natural alternative to statin drugs for lowering cholesterol. However, there is more to this supplement than meets the eye. Fortunately, most of it is good.

The sweet source

Policosanol is a group of eight to nine 'long-chain alcohols' (solid, waxy compounds). Research is accumulating to show that policosanol is more effective than the most 'popular' (among mainstream doctors) patent medicines for lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels." Policosanol may help prevent strokes by inhibiting platelet aggregation and abnormal blood clotting, and may even lower blood pressure as well. Even though it's drawn from the same plant that produces table sugar, policosanol doesn't affect blood sugar levels when ingested. And several studies have shown that it can reduce cholesterol without creating the dangerous side effects associated with statin drugs. In one trial - reported in the journal Gynecological Endocrinology - researchers tested more than 240 post-menopausal women with high cholesterol. The subjects were given 5 mg of policosanol daily for 12 weeks, then 10 mg daily for another 12 weeks. After 6 months, researchers found that the supplement was effective in significantly lowering LDL levels (25.2 percent) and total cholesterol (16.7 percent). In addition, the women experienced an overall 29.3 percent increase in HDL levels.

Walking the walk

Most discussions about cholesterol focus on the ways it endangers the heart. In fact, cholesterol performs several chores that are essential to good health. Cholesterol assists in the absorption of fatty acids, helps manufacture vitamin D, contributes to the production of sex and adrenal hormones, and maintains fatty covers around nerve fibres. As we grow older, however, our hormone levels drop, often boosting cholesterol to levels that cause concern. One of the common age-related side effects of high cholesterol is a debilitating syndrome of cramping pain in the calves known as intermittent claudication. This is often linked to poor circulation and the presence of arterial fat deposits (atherosclerosis). Removal of those fat deposits, however, has been found to decrease claudication. Researchers at the Medical Surgical Research Center in Havana, Cuba, tested policosanol on patients who suffered from moderately severe intermittent claudication. In this read more