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Policosanol/Octacosanol

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• cholesterol / HDL cholesterol / homocysteine / inflammation / heart disease / strokes / red yeast rice / Sytrinol / guggul / pantethine / artichoke / inositol hexanicotinate / triglycerides / statins / green tea / hesperidin / hypertension / trans fatty acids

Recommendations:

• Policosanol at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Cannot sleep due to stress? Here is the cure - Science Daily, 9/5/17 - "Octacosanol reduced corticosterone level in blood plasma, which is a stress marker. The octacosanol-administered mice also showed normal sleep, which was previously disturbed due to stress. They therefore claim that the octacosanol mitigates stress in mice and restores stress-affected sleep to normal in mice. The sleep induced by octacosanol was similar to natural sleep and physiological in nature. However, authors also claimed that octacosanol does not affect sleep in normal animals. These results clearly demonstrated that octacosanol is an active compound that has potential to reduce stress and to increase sleep, and it could potentially be useful for the therapy of insomnia caused by stress" - See policosanol at Amazon.com.
• Efficiency of Use of Dietary Supplement Arteroprotect® In Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases - International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science Invention, Feb. 2017 - "In study group there was a significant reduction in mean values of cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL- cholesterol, as well as an increase in mean values of HDL-cholesterol, whereas in the control group there was a significant decrease in the mean values of all observed laboratory parameters. This indicates a significant impact ARTEROprotect® in terms of sinergistic effect with a statin. In fact, earlier studies have shown that as many as 56,2% of respondents who receive statin do not reach the target value of LDL-cholesterol" - Note:  The Nutra USA article claims that ARTEROprotect® contains 45 mcg of vitamin K2 and and 20 mg of octacosanol which is Policosanol.  See vitamin K2 at Amazon.com and Policosanol at Amazon.com.
• Meta-Analysis of Natural Therapies for Hyperlipidemia - Medscape, 3/18/05 - "Because policosanol seems to be an efficient inhibitor of platelet aggregation -- policosanol 20 mg/day is equivalent to aspirin 100 mg/day -- caution may be indicated with concomitant use of anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents ... policosanol is a valuable addition to the usual therapeutic lifestyle changes and may be an attractive alternative to conventional lipid-lowering drugs"
• Cholesterol-Lowering Supplements (Guggulsterones, Policosanol, Sterols) review - ConsumerLab.com, 8/1/03 - "Policosanol ... Significantly lowers total cholesterol and LDL. Increases HDL"
• Policosanol more Effective than Lovastatin for Intermittent Claudication - New Hope Natural Media, 5/29/03 - "Those taking policosanol had a 34% increase in pain-free walking distance, while no change was observed in those taking lovastatin. Quality of life was also reported as being significantly better in the policosanol group compared with the lovastatin group. Both treatment groups had significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. However, participants taking policosanol had a significant 32% increase in HDL cholesterol and a 6% decrease in fibrinogen, while these parameters remained unchanged in those receiving lovastatin" - Claudication gets my attention because my father has it and if there is a hereditary factor, I want to prevent it. - Ben
• Similar Effect on Platelet Aggregation Seen With Policosanol at 20 and 40 Mg - Doctor's Guide, 9/11/02 - "After 30 days, policosanol reduced low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol by 15.9 and 17.0 percent at 20 and 40 mg daily respectively. Total cholesterol declined by 12.4 and 12.3 per cent, respectively. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol rose by 5 per cent in both groups"
• Policosanol Helps Reduce High Cholesterol - New Hope Natural Media, 6/6/02 - "In a six-month study, 10 mg per day of policosanol reduced total cholesterol by 16% and LDL cholesterol by 24%, and increased HDL cholesterol by 29%. Several other studies have compared policosanol with some of the conventional medications used for lowering cholesterol and the results have shown policosanol in the amount of 5 to 20 mg per day to be more effective than lovastatin (Mevacor®), pravastatin (Pravachol®), and simvastatin (Zocor®), with fewer reported side effects. While some prescription drugs used to lower cholesterol may cause liver and muscle problems in rare instances, people taking policosanol have not suffered any serious side effects"
• Octacosanol Beats Statins - Dr. Janson, 4/02 - "In a study of octacosanol and Pravachol (pravastatin), 10 mg daily of either product lowered LDL- cholesterol by 19.3 percent, the drug only 15.6 percent, it lowered total cholesterol by 13.9 percent (the drug only 11.8)."
• Cuban Lipid Crisis - Nutrition Science News, 11/01 - "Policosanol is similar in function and potency to some statin drugs ... After using 10 mg/day policosanol for two years, study participants tripled their treadmill walking distance. The placebo group experienced insignificant change"
• A Natural Anti-Cholesterol Dietary Supplement, Policosanol - Life Extension Magazine, 6/01 - "policosanol lowered LDL cholesterol 20% in 6 to 12 weeks at 10 mg/day. Total cholesterol was reduced 15%, and HDL increased 7%-28%. Taking 20 mg/day reduced LDL about 28%, total cholesterol about 20%, and elevated HDL 7%-10%"

Abstracts:

• Orally administered octacosanol improves liver insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed mice through the reconstruction of the gut microbiota structure and inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway - Food Funct 2023 Jan 3 - "Octa improved the fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin resistance (IR), plasma lipids, and inflammatory response in HFD-fed mice in a dose-dependent manner. This study also suggested that a high-dose of Octa effectively decreased the levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the plasma of HFD-fed mice. Octa improved the oxidative stress induced by a HFD and increased the expression of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. Importantly, Octa reshaped gut microbiota through decreasing Firmicutes content and increasing Bacteroidota and Verrucomicrobiota contents at the phylum level, and the changes of intestinal flora structure caused by Octa were significantly correlated with the changes of inflammatory biomarkers. In conclusion, the effects of Octa on insulin resistance might be attributed to the reconstruction of the gut microbiota structure and inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway in HFD-induced obese individuals" - See octacosanol at Amazon.com.
• Efficacy and safety of sugarcane policosanol on dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Jul 20 - "The pooled results showed that compared with placebo, sugarcane policosanol could significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC, 95% CI: -0.87 to -0.30 mmol/L) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c, 95% CI: -1.02 to -0.40mmol/L) and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol; however, no significant effects were observed on triglyceride (TG) and body weight"
• Policosanol Attenuates Statin-Induced Increases in Serum Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 When Combined with Atorvastatin - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:926087 - "Protocol I: 26 patients with atherosclerosis were randomly assigned to receive either atorvastatin 20 mg/d or policosanol 20 mg/d + atorvastatin 20 mg/d for 8 weeks. Protocol II: 15 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to either policosanol 20 mg/d or a control group for 12 weeks ... Protocol I: atorvastatin 20 mg/d significantly increased serum PCSK9 level by 39.4% (256 ± 84 ng/mL versus 357 ± 101 ng/mL, P = 0.002). However, policosanol 20 mg/d + atorvastatin 20 mg/d increased serum PCSK9 level by only 17.4% without statistical significance (264 ± 60 ng/mL versus 310 ± 86 ng/mL, P = 0.184). Protocol II: there was a trend toward decreasing serum PCSK9 levels in the policosanol group (289 ± 71 ng/mL versus 235 ± 46 ng/mL, P = 0.069) ... Policosanol combined with statin attenuated the statin-induced increase in serum PCSK9 levels. This finding indicates that policosanol might have a modest effect of lowering serum PCSK9 levels"
• A combined natural supplement lowers LDL cholesterol in subjects with moderate untreated hypercholesterolemia: a randomized placebo-controlled trial - Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2013 Jul 2 -"To investigate the effect of a natural cholesterol-lowering supplement (NCLS) containing red yeast rice, policosanols and artichoke leaf extracts on blood lipid concentrations as well as on safety parameters when given over 16 weeks in 100 volunteers with untreated moderate hypercholesterolemia ... The NCLS was effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B100 in subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia, without modifying safety parameters"
• Low dose chromium-polynicotinate or policosanol is effective in hypercholesterolemic children only in combination with glucomannan - Atherosclerosis. 2013 Feb 13 - "Glucomannan (GM) is a natural fiber that has been demonstrated to lower total and LDL-cholesterol. The use of high-dose chromium-polynicotinate (CP) and policosanol (PC) has also shown cholesterol-lowering benefits ... GM combination of low-dose CP or PC reduced CholT and LDL without changing HDL, TG and FBG. The highest post-treatment changes were seen after GM combination with CP (CholT 85 +/- 3% and LDL 85 +/- 5%, of pretreatment) which was significantly (p < 0.01) less than with low-dose CP or PC and starch" - See glucomannan at Amazon.com, chromium supplements at Amazon.com and policosanol at Amazon.com.
• Long-term effects of nutraceuticals (berberine, red yeast rice, policosanol) in elderly hypercholesterolemic patients - Adv Ther. 2011 Nov 21 - "containing berberine 500 mg, policosanol 10 mg, red yeast rice 200 mg, folic acid 0.2 mg, coenzyme Q10 2.0 mg, and astaxanthin 0.5 mg) or placebo ... There was a statistically significant reduction in total cholesterolemia (-20%), LDL-C (-31%), and insulin resistance (-10%) with nutraceutical treatment. No significant changes were detected for plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, no statistical differences were found between baseline and end-study safety parameters. Medication compliance and tolerability were high" - Note: I’m been promoting synergy and talking lower doses of everything proven in specific areas like this for some time.
• Effect of omega-3 and policosanol supplementation on attention and reactivity in athletes - J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Aug;28 - "After 21 days of supplementation, subjects who received O3 + P showed a reduced reaction time and increased vigor sensation associated with a reduction of the negative states measured with the POMS test. Analysis of the event-related brain potentials showed a reduced latency of the movement-related brain macropotentials. In particular, the potentials recorded in the premotor period and motor period occurred earlier and the latency of EMG activation was reduced. In the third test, 21 days after the last O3 + P supplementation, the positive effects on the mood state persisted, while the reaction time, EMG, and brain potential latencies increased, although their values remained lower than in the first test. The placebo group did not show any significant differences in Tests 2 and 3 compared to Test 1 for either POMS or reactivity and brain potentials"
• Policosanol is ineffective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: a randomized controlled trial - Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Dec;84(6):1543-8 - "Policosanol does not alter the serum lipid profile over an 8-wk period in adults with mild hypercholesterolemia"
• Lack of cholesterol-lowering efficacy of Cuban sugar cane policosanols in hypercholesterolemic persons - Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1003-8 - "2-40 mg Cuban sugar cane policosanol (SCP) mixtures/d ... Present results show no beneficial effects of Cuban SCPs on lipid indicators in hypercholesterolemic persons and question the clinical usefulness of policosanol mixtures as cholesterol-lowering neutraceutical agents"
• Wheat germ policosanol failed to lower plasma cholesterol in subjects with normal to mildly elevated cholesterol concentrations - Metabolism. 2004 Oct;53(10):1309-1314
• Policosanol: Clinical pharmacology and therapeutic significance of a new lipid-lowering agent - Am Heart J 2002 Feb;143(2):356-65 - "At doses of 10 to 20 mg per day, policosanol lowers total cholesterol by 17% to 21% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 21% to 29% and raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 8% to 15%"
• Effects of policosanol 20 versus 40 mg/day in the treatment of patients with type II hypercholesterolemia: a 6-month double-blind study - Int J Clin Pharmacol Res 2001;21(1):43-57 - "although the tolerability profile remains excellent, according to the present results policosanol at a dose of 40 mg/day does not offer significant additional cholesterol-lowering efficacy over the 20 mg/day dose"
• Effects of policosanol in older patients with type II hypercholesterolemia and high coronary risk - J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001 Mar;56(3):M186-92 - "After 6 weeks on a lipid-lowering diet, 179 patients randomly received a placebo or policosanol at doses of 5 followed by 10 mg per day for successive 12-week periods of each dose. Policosanol (5 and 10 mg/d) significantly (p < .001) reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; 16.9% and 24.4%, respectively) and total cholesterol (TC; 12.8% and 16.2%, respectively), while significantly (p < .01) increasing (p < .001) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by 14.6% and 29.1%, respectively ... No serious adverse experiences occurred in policosanol patients (p < .01), compared with seven adverse experiences (7.9%) reported by placebo patients"
• A long-term study of policosanol in the treatment of intermittent claudication - Angiology 2001 Feb;52(2):115-125 - "After 6 months of therapy, policosanol significantly increased (p < 0.01) the initial claudication distance from 125.9 +/- 8.7 m to 201.1 +/- 24.8 m and the absolute claudication distance from 219.5 +/- 14.1 m to 380.7 +/- 50.2 m. Both variables remained unchanged in the placebo group (p < 0.01). These effects did not wear off but improved after long-term therapy, so that final values were 333.5 +/- 28.6 m (initial claudication distance) and 648.9 +/- 54.1 m (absolute claudication distance); both significantly greater (p < 0.0001) than those obtained in the placebo group, which showed values of 137.9 +/- 21.8 m (initial claudication distance) and 237.7 +/- 28.1 m (absolute claudication distance), respectively"