Policosanol

A mix of compounds usually derived from sugar cane wax or beeswax, policosanol may also come from wheat germ, rice bran, or other plant foods. Of all the dietary supplements claiming to improve blood cholesterol levels, policosanol is one of the more promising.

Claims, purported benefits: Lowers blood cholesterol; safer than prescription drugs (statins).

Evidence: Studies from Cuba using policosanol from sugar cane show that it lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 10 to 30% and raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol by about 10%, on average. It may work better than plant sterols/stanols, the cholesterol-lowering ingredients added to some foods, some research suggests, and may even be as effective as low doses of certain statins. But in the first independent study on Cuban policosanol in 2006, German researchers found it ineffective. Another study found policosanol made in the U.S. from sugar had no effect either. It’s also not known if other sources of policosanol, besides sugar, work. In European studies, neither policosanol from wheat germ nor policosanol from rice showed benefits.

Bottom line: It’s too early to say if policosanol lives up to its cholesterol-lowering reputation. No one knows what source of policosanol is best or what the optimal dose is. Only Cuban products, made from sugar cane, have been well tested, but they are not available in the U.S. Studies lasting up to three years provide some assurance that policosanol is not toxic, but its safety beyond that is not established. If it affects cholesterol, it may have other effects in the body. Cholesterol-lowering drugs, on the other hand, have been carefully studied and are proven to lower your risk of heart disease with only rare side effects.