Study casts doubt on policosanol for lowering cholesterol

June 5, 2006, 8:11AM

SUPPLEMENTS
Study casts doubt on policosanol for lowering cholesterol
By SHARI ROAN
Los Angeles Times

Policosanol, a popular supplement made from the waxy coating of Cuban
sugar cane, has been touted as an alternative to prescription drugs for
lowering cholesterol. That may not be the case.

Dozens of studies had shown that the product could lower LDL
cholesterol, but most of that research was conducted by a group in Cuba
that markets the product.

Dr. Heiner K. Berthold of the University of Cologne, Germany, decided to
put policosanol to a rigorous new test. He divided 143 people with high
cholesterol into five groups: Four received various doses of
policosanol, and one received a placebo. None of the five treatment
groups showed a lowering of LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent, and
there was no difference between the policosanol and placebo groups.

The report, published in the May 17 issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association, was a bit of déjà vu for Berthold. In 1998, he
published a study in JAMA showing that another highly publicized
supplement — garlic — failed to lower cholesterol.

"This is an excellent example of the need for independent research,"
Berthold said in an e-mail interview. "In many cases, drug research is
only performed by the manufacturers. Many times, when drug findings are
challenged by independent researchers, the results are not as positive
as they were in the reports of the pharmaceutical industry."

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