Cholesterol Game-Changer? I Took Policosanol for 3 Months and Here’s What Happened

blood health monitoring
Dong-A Ilbo reporter, clinical challenge for 3 months… Combination of taking policosanols and exercise
Reduction of total cholesterol-visceral fat… Increased levels of “HDL”, which cleans blood vessels
“Cutting back fast food, high fructose corn syrup, etc., and exercising 30 minutes a day will help with management.”

Reidel Research Director Kyeong-Hyeon Cho holds models of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in his right and left hands, respectively. Journalist Lee Jin-han likeday@donga.com

Can policosanol actually increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood? Policosanol refers to a natural fatty alcohol extract extracted from sugar cane, beeswax, etc. It is mainly used in health foods and is known to be effective in reducing LDL and increasing HDL. In Cuba, medicines using policosanol have been developed and exported to many countries.

A reporter from Dong-A Ilbo learned about research findings showing that policosanol increases HDL at the “HDL Workshop” of the American College of Cardiology held in Chicago, United States, in May this year and decided to directly participate in a related clinical study for three months. Then I met Reidel research director Kyeong-hyeon Cho, an expert who has studied HDL for 33 years, and began my experience. According to a survey by Stanford University, Director Cho is ranked among the top 2% of researchers in the world.

Both HDL and LDL cholesterol are essential

Lee Jin-han, a medical reporter from Dong-A Ilbo, is collecting blood for a cholesterol test. For the “Before and After” experience, I first took a blood test in the hospital. Blood pressure was normal between 77 and 122 mmHg, but total cholesterol level was 216 mg per dL, slightly higher than the normal range (less than 200 mg). The LDL level was 144 mg per dL, which was above the normal range (130 mg or less). Simply put, there is a problem with vascular health.

Director Cho said: “The level of HDL that cleans blood vessels is 45 mg per dL, which is higher than the normal level (over 40 mg), but the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol is low. It’s not a big deal, right now, but it’s a little dangerous in the early stages. “The appropriate ratio is for HDL to be 30% and LDL to be 70% of total cholesterol,” he said.

Cholesterol is essential for the human body. LDL transports cholesterol to cells, and HDL transports remaining cholesterol to the liver. LDL is commonly known as “bad cholesterol,” but this is said to be a misconception. Director Cho said: “LDL has no self-protection function, so it is easily attacked and easily damaged. “When LDL is oxidized and broken down during cholesterol transport, it builds up in the lining of blood vessels and causes atherosclerosis,” he said. “Oxidized and broken LDL is not good, and HDL protects LDL with a strong antioxidant effect, so when HDL is.” high, atherosclerosis is prevented”.

Avoid bad food rather than eating good food

To manage cholesterol you need to do physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day and follow good eating habits. Director Cho said: “We need to reduce fast foods rich in trans fats and foods rich in high fructose corn syrup. “It’s better for your health to avoid bad food than to eat good food,” he said. “Also, you should exercise vigorously, to the point of sweating, for more than 30 minutes a day.”

The reporter cycled for about two hours almost every day during the clinical trial. I did strength training for about 30 minutes and light running for about 30 minutes at a gym near my house. I also avoided fast food and sweet foods. Additionally, 20 mg of Cuban policosanol was consumed daily for 3 months. Director Cho said: “Policosanol has the function of activating AMPK, which promotes energy depletion and decomposition metabolism, so it can cause drowsiness. “It’s better to eat it before bed rather than in the morning or during the day,” he said.

If you keep trying for 3 months, you will regain the health of your blood vessels

When I retested three months later, the InBody test showed that my visceral fat had decreased by 200g, probably because I was exercising every day. This is a decrease of approximately 7% compared to the past. Additionally, HDL increased to 51 mg per dL compared to 3 months ago (45 mg). It is said that HDL is not easy to increase with advancing age. The reporter has never had an HDL level above 50 mg during a health check. LDL also decreased 8.3% from 3 months ago to 135 mg per dL. Total cholesterol also dropped to 212 mg per dl and HDL ratio also increased from 20% to 24%.

Director Cho said: “The ratio of HDL to LDL is also important, and for people who live a long time, this ratio is kept below 2.5. In the case of journalists, it dropped from 3.22 to three months ago at 2.65”. He continued: “As a result of a detailed analysis of the HDL using an electron microscope, the condition of the HDL has improved significantly compared to three months ago. “At first, the diameter of the HDL was small, about 13 nm, and the outline was not clear,” he said. “Now the outline has become clearer and the size has increased to about 15 nm in diameter.”

ApoA-I protein, which makes up HDL, also increased by 51%. ApoA-I is a protein that plays a very important role in the prevention of Alzheimer’s dementia. Director Cho asked people to increase HDL-C to more than 60 mg per dL, increase the HDL-C ratio to more than 30%, and maintain lifestyle habits that improve HDL quality and function.

Jinhan Lee, medical journalist and doctor likeday@donga.com