Sugar cane offers cholesterol treatment hope

By ANGELA GREGORY HEALTH REPORTER

A natural sugar cane extract clinically shown to reduce "bad" cholesterol levels has become available in New Zealand and can be purchased without a prescription.

The cholesterol-managing product Policosanol, which has been clinically tested and medically reviewed, can be bought at pharmacies and health food stores.

A senior lecturer in epidemiology at Auckland University, Dr Robert Scragg, told the Weekend Herald he had not heard of the product but it sounded useful for people who could not reduce high cholesterol levels through diet alone.

"In my research we screen thousands of people and get blood tests ... some swear that they are following low cholesterol diets but they still have high cholesterol."

Dr Scragg said cholesterol levels could be affected through lifestyle and genetic factors. For some people, trying to reduce levels was very frustrating.

Dr Scragg, an expert in preventative medicine and heart disease, said any self-help that could make a difference, including taking supplements, should be encouraged.

"But diet is the first point."

Policosanol attracted a flurry of interest when released in Australia last year, but a pharmaceutical expert in New Zealand, Professor John Shaw, warned that people with high cholesterol levels should not self-prescribe.

The head of pharmacy at Auckland University, Professor Shaw, said Policosanol was pharmacologically active and acted like a less potent version of conventional cholesterol-lowering drugs.

"People would be getting a rather low dose of a conventional medicine ... except it is not legally a medicine."

While Professor Shaw said Policosanal could be useful, including as a preventative treatment, anyone buying the product should discuss it with their doctor or pharmacist first.

He was "not antagonistic" in regard to natural and herbal medicines, but caution was always advised as there could be unexpected complications with drugs or other medical conditions.

Natural health products company Blackmores says the product, sold in a pill form, tackles cholesterol in ways that cannot be achieved by diet alone, with beneficial results possible in just eight weeks.

Blackmores general manager Alison Quesnel said Policosanol was a unique and patented product, discovered in Cuba, made from the waxy coating of the stems and leaves of the sugar cane plant.

She said 10 years of research and more than 30 clinical trials on more than 31,000 people had shown:

* Significantly reduced total cholesterol levels by up to 18 per cent.

* Significantly reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by up to 28 per cent.

* Increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels by up to 29 per cent.

Ms Quesnel said it provided New Zealanders with the most effective natural cholesterol management solution available.

The product can be bought over the counter from chemists and health stores. A month's supply costs about $60.

Blackmores recommended people seek advice from a health professional before undertaking any cholesterol management programme.

Ms Quesnel said it was particularly effective for people suffering mildly elevated blood cholesterol levels, and had no known serious side-effects.

nzherald.co.nz/health