CHICAGO – German research casts doubt on the effectiveness of a sugar cane-based ingredient sold as a cholesterol treatment in One-A-Day Cholesterol Plus vitamins and other products marketed in dozens of countries.
The substance, called policosanol, worked no better than dummy pills in German adults with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the kind that can clog arteries and lead to heart problems.
Even in high doses, policosanol derived from Cuban sugar cane produced no meaningful changes in cholesterol levels during 12 weeks of treatment, said lead author Dr. Heiner Berthold of the German Medical Association’s drug commission.
Most previous studies that reached the opposite conclusion were sponsored by a company founded by Cuba’s National Center for Scientific Research to market policosanol, the German researchers said.
Cuban sugar cane-based policosanol is sold in more than 40 countries, mostly as a cholesterol treatment, the researchers said. Other sources for the ingredient include wheat germ, rice, bran and beeswax. Policosanol products are widely available on the Internet and in stores.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
