Today, March 14, we want to mention the European Day for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk.
In this post we want to talk about policosanol as a new ally to improve cholesterol levels.

Due to the current restriction on the use of monacolins from red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus) in food supplements, the Regulation of which will be published in a couple of months in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union), food supplements containing more than 3 mg of monacolin K per daily dose will not be able to be sold.
For this reason, our product, ACTIVE CARDISTEROL, was one of the products that contained this ingredient at a higher dose, it has undergone a small variation in its formula.
Now it adds a new component, and it is policosanol.
This ingredient adds nothing but benefits to the formulation by focusing on the rapid decline in cholesterol levels, as shown by some studies we have collected.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an essential component of the human body.
It has structural function in cell membranes and plays an integral role in membrane fluidity.
Cholesterol is also important in the synthesis of lipid structures that are necessary for protein classification, cell signaling, and apoptosis.

Cholesterol plays a structural role in cell membranes and plays an integral role in membrane fluidity

The characteristic structural feature of cholesterol is a ring of four fused hydrocarbons called the steroid nucleus and a hydrocarbon tail consisting of eight hydrocarbon chains.
The cholesterol ring is the precursor to steroid hormones that include estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and vitamin D. As a hydrophobic molecule, cholesterol is transported in the blood through spherical macromolecules in the plasma called lipoproteins that include chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL, and HDL.

LDL particles transport cholesterol to peripheral tissues, and therefore, if LDL cholesterol is elevated, lipids can be deposited in the arterial lumen, leading to plaque formation and thickening or narrowing of blood vessels, the hallmark of atherosclerosis.
On the other hand, HDL is responsible for the reverse transport of cholesterol from peripheral tissues to the liver, for bile acid synthesis and steroid synthesis or for their elimination through bile.

The discovery more than half a century ago that high blood cholesterol levels were strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease prompted numerous warnings to avoid foods containing cholesterol, says the Harvard School of Public Health.
The quantitative relationships between dietary fat and cholesterol and plasma lipid concentrations have been the subject of much study and some controversy in recent years.

Policosanol in cholesterol reduction

Policosanol is a natural mixture of higher primary aliphatic alcohols isolated and purified from sugarcane wax (Saccharum officinarum, L.), the main component of which is octacosanol.

This substance can substantially improve cholesterol levels to almost the same level as the most effective medications used for this purpose. The resulting hypocholesterolemic effect would be due to a suppression of HMG-CoA reductase activity.

This was demonstrated by a study that based its evidence on postmenopausal women who showed elevated levels of serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) despite a standard 6-week lipid-lowering diet.
The results showed a significant drop in cholesterol levels.
Patients were treated with policosanol 5mg/day for 8 weeks and the dose was doubled to 1mg/day for the next 8 weeks. Policosanol significantly reduced LDL cholesterol (17.3% and 26.7%, respectively), total cholesterol (12.9% and 19.5%), as well as the ratios of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (17.2% and 26.5%) and total cholesterol to HDL (16.3% and 21.0%) compared to baseline. https://europepmc.org/article/med/11708573

In an analysis of scientific literature and studies from several academic portals, where a total of 22 studies involving 1886 subjects were included, it aimed to systematically investigate whether sugarcane policosanol was effective and safe in dyslipidemia. The combined results showed that, compared to placebo, sugarcane policosanol could significantly reduce total cholesterol. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201700280

In another study, 21 statin-intolerant patients were retrospectively analyzed, and they were treated with policosanol 10 mg twice daily for 156 ± 63 days.
Evidence showed that policosanol can significantly improve cholesterol levels, to about the same degree as statins and their family of laboratory preparations.

For the study, fasting lipid profiles were collected before and after treatment and a statistical analysis was performed with paired tests.
Data were further analysed into subgroups based on the presence or absence of statin therapy. In the 21 patients, LDL cholesterol decreased by 17% and total cholesterol decreased by 9.4%. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00547-005-2002-5

Red rice yeast, the great known

Red Yeast Rice is a dietary supplement that contains monacins, unsaturated fatty acids, and phytosterols capable of lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Lu et al.
conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 4870 Chinese subjects with a history of cardiovascular events for 4.5 years.
The purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of chorestin extract and red yeast rice derivative. Treated patients showed a significant decrease in the frequency of major coronary events , such as nonfatal myocardial infarction and death from coronary or cardiac causes, compared to those who received placebo. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2008.02.056

Coenzyme Q10 as another ally

The Coenzyme protects patients whose endogenous production is decreased.
In addition, Coenzyme Q10 is an important antioxidant.
Q10 deficiency can affect energy metabolism and contribute to the development of muscle symptoms and myalgia, as well as energy loss.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a ubiquitous factor present in cell membranes and mitochondria, both in its reduced (ubiquinol) and oxidized (ubiquinone) forms.
Its levels are high in organs with high metabolism such as the heart, kidneys and liver because it acts as an energy transfer molecule, but it could be reduced by aging, genetic factors, drugs (e.g. statins), cardiovascular diseases, degenerative diseases, muscle disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

CoQ10 is endowed with important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics, useful for preventing free radical-induced damage and activation of the inflammatory signaling pathway.
Therefore, exogenous CoQ10 through supplementation could be useful as an adjuvant in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction and in associated risk factors such as hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias and obesity.

The most prominent role of CoQ10 is to facilitate ATP production through participation in the electron transport chain in the mitochondria.
CoQ10, in its reduced form, has been shown to inhibit the peroxidation of cell membrane lipids and reduce the oxidation of circulating lipids.

Conclusion

Cholesterol has been one of the biggest health concerns for several decades, both at an individual level and at a general and global level.
The direct relationship between hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular diseases is well known and therefore we have decided to go one step further in the implementation of policosanol in the formula of ACTIVE CARDISTEROL.

Our objective was, is and will be to ensure the well-being of our customers and provide you with the best quality of products, both for prevention and to deal with issues related to the deterioration of health.