Policosanol
Pharmaceutical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Policosanol is the generic term for a mixture of long chain alcohols extracted from plant waxes. It is used as a dietary supplement.
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| Formula | CH3-(CH2)n-CH2OH n=24-34 |
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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]