Saturday Quack – Policosanol

Policosanol is a fast-growing supplement in the USA, being sold as a treatment for high blood cholesterol levels. This claim is based on clinical trials conducted in Cuba – not perhaps the best-known country for well-conducted controlled clinical studies.

Policosanol is a mixture of fatty alcohols derived from waxes of sugar cane, yams, and beeswax. It’s supposed to work by inhibiting synthesis of cholesterol through the same mechanism as the statins. However, recent studies done outside Cuba have failed to show an actual effect on blood lipids. The latest is one just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Healthy adults with mild increases in their cholesterol levels were given oral policosanol (20 mg) or placebo, once daily for 8 weeks. At the end of this time there were no changes in LDL-cholesterol, or any other lipid levels, or C-reactive protein (CRP). No adverse effects of policosanol were reported, either.

It’s always disappointing when people spend good money for a treatment that they think will do them good, but in fact does nothing. Policosanol is a typical example; better by far to take an active medication, e.g. a statin drug which has had its effectiveness proved in well-conducted clinical studies.