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Policosanol Supplements For Lowering Cholesterol
Many people are using Policosanol as a natural cholesterol lowering supplement to help reduce their high blood cholesterol levels and improve heart health. Policosanol is a generic term for a natural extract of plant waxes and a natural mix of different alcohols such as octacosanol, triacontanol and hexacosanol – obtained from the waxy coating found in sugar cane leaves.
A CholesLo Ingredient
Reducing Cholesterol Levels
You can now find plenty of natural supplements that promise to help improve health and prevent many heart-related diseases.
One example of this natural supplement is CholesLo which has Policosanol as one of its natural ingredients.
Benefits of Policosanol
These are just few of the many benefits of taking natural cholesterol-reducing Policosanol:
- Lowers oxidized LDL cholesterol
- Raises good cholesterol
- Prevents platelet aggregation
- Reduces the pain caused by intermittent claudication.
The Effects of Policosanol on Cholesterol
Policosanol helps you achieve low levels of oxidized LDL while increasing good cholesterol levels (HDL). Please note that not all LDL is “bad” cholesterol as many people think. Therefore, it would be wrong to think that LDLs must be kept in very low levels otherwise the overall heart health of an individual will also suffer from its impact.
Rather you should see to it that the kinds of LDL that you must keep within low levels are those which have been oxidized. On the other hand, levels of good cholesterol must be increased so that the task of carrying oxidized LDL cholesterols away from your arteries to be sent to the liver for excretion is happening in your body. Therefore, you become less vulnerable to coronary heart diseases.
- Prevention of Platelet Aggregation
Some well-designed clinical studies also showed that Policosanol helps prevent the production of thromboxane, which acts as the culprit for the formation of blood clots resulting to a condition called thromboses. The presence of thromboses obstructs the flow of blood thereby adversely affecting the entire circulatory system of an individual.
- Policosanol As Relief For Intermittent Claudication
“Claudication” is a Latin word which means “to limp”. Intermittent claudication occurs when there is poor blood circulation to your legs and feet. In most cases, claudication is a symptom for peripheral artery disease caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is often the result of having clogged fats and cholesterol which make up atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries.
If a person suffers from intermittent claudication, they will most likely experience unexplained muscle fatigue, soreness or cramp like pain in their extremities which will make them walk with a limp.
Some studies proved the ability of Policosanol to provide relief from intermittent claudication after 6 months of taking not less than 10mg of it daily. The improvement in the symptoms of claudication was measured by the length of the distance that the person was able to walk. Ref
In Conclusion…
Policosanol Lowers Cholesterol
In your body, policosanol reduces cholesterol levels, by a complex mechanism we need not go into, so be grateful for that. It reduces your total cholesterol mainly by reducing your LDL-cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”), which is the dominant kind in your bloodstream. At the same time, however – and this is really neat – it increases your HDL-cholesterol (“good cholesterol”), which exists in smaller amounts. It also reduces your triglycerides, which is the technical term for fats. (Together, triglycerides and fatty substances such as cholesterol are called lipids.) – (https://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/772-policosanol-improves-cardiovascular-health)
Since time immemorial, plants have been commonly used for medicinal purposes. During primitive times, people had to manually extract their leaves, or pound its roots before using them to treat any diseases. Today the health benefits of these plants are now readily available in the form of natural supplements.
If you are thinking about maintaining a healthy heart, perhaps policosanol in a clinically proven natural supplement, such as found in one of the CholesLo ingredients, may be of benefit to you.
If you would like more information on this natural supplement, you can also read my review here: CholesLo Review
Disclosure Statement – We are an affiliate for the products we recommend.
Since I cannot tolerate Red Yeast Rice which is one of the ingredients in CholesLo, what other product(s) would you suggest I take for lowering cholesterol & triglycerides? I cannot tolerate any form of statin either and my M.D. is getting upset with me that I cannot seem to lower my cholesterol readings! I’m 61 and post-menopausal and am 30 lbs over my ideal weight. Exercise is difficult now due to a painful, arthritic left knee which keeps me from walking for exercise. Any suggestions for cholesterol lowering supplements would be welcomed! Thank you.
Hi Kathleen,
Many people have mentioned to me that they cannot take Red Yeast Rice and I have asked Dr Sam Robbins about it. He has pointed me to a section within the ingredient explanations that says the following:
“When using Red Yeast Rice, the key is to have the toxic by-product called “citrinin” REMOVED from the fermentation process – to which CholesLo™ has done.
Also, you should never take Red Yeast Rice by itself, because a much higher dose is required, to see/feel the positive results. Unfortunately, at the higher dosages – negative side-effects can also happen. That’s why a product like CholesLo™ utilizes Red Yeast Rice along with other KEY ingredients that are ALSO scientifically proven to help create improved cholesterol levels.”
This is quite possibly why you have experienced negative side effects in the past.
However if you are concerned about it and would like me to suggest another supplement, this is something Dr Sam mentions:
“If you choose not to use our clinically proven CholesLo™ product (for whatever reason) and go with another company’s product that contains Policosanol, make sure it contains specific “octacosanol” form and NOT the cheaper form of “beta-sistosterol”, which is better suited for prostate inflammation and NOT cholesterol reduction.”
So with that in mind I will see if I can find a supplement that may suit you. I have been so impressed with CholesLo I haven’t researched others in depth.
There are however a couple of companies I have dealt with, so I will see what I can find for you.
Hi Kathleen,
Well I have looked at a dozen different supplements and when I compare them to CholesLo they don’t even come close. Many contain Red Yeast Rice and others don’t even mention about lowering triglycerides.
CoQ10 is’t even in most of them…which surprises me. So to be honest, I wouldn’t be happy recommending any others to you.
On the front of the CholesLo website there is a comparison chart. LipidShield is one that shows it helps lower triglycerides, but it contains Red Yeast Rice and it doesn’t mention having citrinin removed.
If you still would like to try another supplement, as I said in my previous comment there are a couple of other companies I have dealt with, but their cholesterol lowering supplements don’t seem to be as ‘complete’ in my opinion.