Your Local Spine Specialists
Empowered Doctor Sites
Cholestrol Suppliments
The supplement called policosonol (poly—kos-uh-nol) has been widely used as a nutritional supplement. it’s not a medicine, but many insist it is highly effective at lowering the total and bad, or LDL cholesterol levels.
When Harriet Paul was diagnosed with high cholesterol, her choice was to avoid the statins--the widely used cholesterol lowering medicines--and instead use policosonol. “I’ve read so much about it, I thought I would try it rather than have medication I try alternative medicine before I go to this other stuff that can give you so many negative symptoms,” says Harriet.
Policosanol is a natural substance produced from the waxy coating of sugar cane. There are many policosanol products on the market, available over the counter, without a prescription. And most studies--in fact, 79 out of 80--have shown it is indeed effective.
Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, says, “In some patients in my practice I’ve seen a drop of ten to 15 percent in the total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol.”
But now the latest research in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed, regardless of dosing from 5 to 80 milligrams, policosonol was no more effective at lowering cholesterol levels than was a dummy placebo pill.
Why such a difference in results?
Dr. Jacqueline Tamis-Holland, an interventional cardiologist at St. Luke’s Hospital, says, “It’s surprising this study doesn’t show a benefit. But the reason way the doctors did the study is because all the previous studies were all done in Cuba with the exception of one. There was something suspicious about the previous studies.”
“There is some literature that if this medication is taken with coenzyme q 10, it is more effective than when it is not taken with that supplement,” suggests Dr. Mezitis.
Regardless, Americans will continue to use alternative treatments. Some argue, just follow your patients carefully.
“They should be monitored as with western medicine every three months at least, check their cholesterol levels if they’re not stable,” advises Dr. Mezitis.
“We don’t routinely prescribe natural substances because we don’t know as much about them as the medications that have been studies and are FDA approved,” argues Dr. Tamis-Holland.
No matter to Harriet; she’s had no problems, and only good things to say.
“I’ve come down from 252 to 222 being on the same diet not cutting back on anything not stopping anything, and I’m very pleased with it. And I don’t have to worry about the statins affecting the liver or anything,” says Harriet.
There is still no data on whether policosonol actually decreases cardiovascular related disease and deaths.
Everyone is calling for more research to better define if this works, and how effective it truly is, with or without Coenzyme Q.
Similar Spine Stories