Policosanol is the generic term for a mixture of long chain alcohols extracted from plant waxes. It is used as a dietary supplement.
History
Policosanol was originally derived from sugar cane but the chemicals can also be isolated from beeswax, cereal grains, grasses, leaves, fruits, nuts, and seeds of many foods.[1]Plant waxes consist of long chain alkanes and their derivatives, including long chain fatty acids and alcohols.[2] Policosanols are very long chain alcohols with carbon backbones ranging from 24 to 34 carbons.[1]
The first policosanol supplements were produced by Dalmer Laboratories in Cuba; studies conducted and published by that group have found that policosanol is safe and effective as a lipid-lowering agent. However these studies were small, and efforts by groups outside of Cuba have failed to replicate these results.[1]
Safety and efficacy
A meta-analysis in 2005 concluded that human policosanol consumption is safe and well tolerated and is effective at lowering the blood cholesterol.[3] As of 2010, they were marketed as lipid-lowering agents in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Canada.[1] Furthermore, another meta-analysis published in 2018 with 22 studies and 1886 subjects showed policosanol could improve dyslipidemia with raising HDL.[4] The blood pressure lowering effect of Cuban policosanol has been shown in an animal model using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)[5] and a human trial.[6][7]
References
^ abcdMarinangeli CP, Jones PJ, Kassis AN, Eskin MN (March 2010). "Policosanols as nutraceuticals: fact or fiction". Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 50 (3): 259–267. doi:10.1080/10408391003626249. PMID20301014. S2CID205689543.
^Baker EA (1982). "Chemistry and morphology of plant epicuticular waxes". In Cutler DJ, Alvin KL, Price CE (eds.). The Plant Cuticle. London: Academic Press. pp. 139–165. ISBN0-12-199920-3.
^Chen JT, Wesley R, Shamburek RD, Pucino F, Csako G (February 2005). "Meta-analysis of natural therapies for hyperlipidemia: plant sterols and stanols versus policosanol". Pharmacotherapy. 25 (2): 171–183. doi:10.1592/phco.25.2.171.56942. PMID15767233. S2CID5608374.
^Gong J, Qin X, Yuan F, Hu M, Chen G, Fang K, et al. (January 2018). "Efficacy and safety of sugarcane policosanol on dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials". Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 62 (1): 1700280. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201700280. PMID28730734. S2CID667730.