Not-so-sweet outcome

POLICOSANOL, a popular supplement made from the waxy coating of Cuban sugar cane, has been touted as an alternative to prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol. That may not be the case.

Dozens of studies had shown that the product could lower LDL cholesterol, but most of that research was conducted by a group in Cuba that markets the product.

Dr. Heiner K. Berthold of the University of Cologne, Germany, decided to put policosanol to a rigorous new test. He divided 143 people with high cholesterol into five groups: Four received various doses of policosanol and one received a placebo. None of the five treatment groups showed a lowering of LDL cholesterol by more than 10%, and there was no difference between the policosanol and placebo groups.

The report, published in the May 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., was a bit of deja vu for Berthold. In 1998, he published a study in JAMA showing that another highly publicized supplement -- garlic -- failed to lower cholesterol.

“This is an excellent example of the need for independent research,” Berthold said in an e-mail interview. “In many cases, drug research is only performed by the manufacturers. Many times, when drug findings are challenged by independent researchers, the results are not as positive as they were in the reports of the pharmaceutical industry.”