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Policosanol; 1-Octacosanol; N-Octacosanol; Octacosyl Alcohol; Octacosanol; Wheat Germ Oil

Many dietary supplements claim to improve blood cholesterol levels. Policosanol is one that may actually do so. It appears not only to lower cholesterol—particularly LDL (“bad”) cholesterol)—but also raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol, something cholesterol-lowering statin drugs don’t do. In addition, it may make blood less likely to form clots and have other heart benefits as well.

Policosanol is a mix of compounds usually derived from sugar cane wax or beeswax, but it can also come from wheat germ, rice bran, and other plant foods. Most of the 60-plus clinical trials on it were done in Cuba and have used policosanol from sugar cane wax. They consistently show that policosanol reduces LDL cholesterol (by 10 to 30%) and raises HDL (by about 10%, on average). A 2005 analysis in Pharmacology found policosanol better than plant sterols/stanols, the cholesterol-lowering ingredients found in Benecol margarine and some other products. Some studies suggest policosanol may even be as effective as low doses of certain cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Policosanol may lower cholesterol by inhibiting its synthesis in the liver and by boosting the breakdown of LDL cholesterol.

And, as with other dietary supplements, don’t assume because policosanol is “natural” and available without a prescription that it’s safe. If it can affect blood cholesterol, it can also have other effects in the body. The longest studies, lasting two to three years, provide some assurance that it’s not toxic at the doses used, but its safety beyond that is not established. Cholesterol-lowering drugs, on the other hand, have been carefully studied and are a proven way to lower your risk of heart disease. They have impressive results, and their side effects, mostly rare, are known.

No one knows what the optimal dose is (studies have used 5 to 40 milligrams a day) or what source of policosanol is best. Only Cuban products, which are made from sugar cane, have been well tested, yet these particular products are not available in the U.S. Similar products that you can buy over the Internet, in health-food stores, or in drugstores have not been studied, including the new One-A-Day Cholesterol Plus formula with policosanol.

It’s also not known if other sources of policosanol, besides sugar cane, work. In a Dutch study, for example, policosanol from wheat germ had no effect, and rice policosanol did not lower LDL in a recent Croatian study. And it's not even certain that the Cuban products work: a well-designed German study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in May, found that Cuban sugar-cane policosanol does not improve cholesterol levels.

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