Policosanol does not lower cholesterol

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A clinical trial suggests that the supplement policosanol does not have any significant impact on cholesterol profile.
The nutritional supplement policosanol is a natural substance made from the waxy coating of sugar cane. It is widely available and various tests have suggested it may help to lower cholesterol in a 'natural' way - that is, without using statins, drugs that are prescribed for this purpose.

Scientists at the University of Cologne, Germany, have investigated the potential cholesterol-lowering impact of policosanol. They gave a group of 143 patients with high cholesterol either the supplement, in four varying doses, or placebo. In none of the five sub-groups did cholesterol go down more than ten per cent. There were also no significant differences between the policosanol and placebo group in terms of any aspect of cholesterol profile - total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL or 'bad') cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL or 'good') cholesterol. The researchers conclude that policosanol does not have value in cholesterol-lowering but further studies should perhaps be carried out because there is quite a bit of data in favor of the supplement.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 17th May 2006 Volume 295 pages 2262-2269

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