I don’t expect any Lp(a) drug to provide benefits by itself.
That is not convincing to me still since it is only one study.
If other studies fail then it suggest it is not a good supplement.
Not convincing but interesting. The german study i note was for a shorter period than the positive studies
(korean and cuban)
I also found another 2023 study in Japan with a positive result.
“In conclusion, 12 weeks of Cuban policosanolconsumption in Japanese subjects showed significant improvement in blood pressure, lipid profiles, hepatic functions, and HbA1c with enhancement of HDL functionalities”
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The other (negative) 2006 study by Dulin et al was only 8 weeks. Same for the 2008 Italian study
Maybe there’s a time issue? Speculatively… Gut microbiome modulation effects often take longer.
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Finally… This 2019 systematic review and met analysis of RCTs found a positive result for improvements in blood pressure from policosanol.
This is getting more convincing the longer i look. I’ve got some beeswax/honeycomb honey somewhere - i might just try a n= 1 study.
2.5g of wax = circa 22mg policosanol
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That study looks shady to me, lots of measurements at different points (multiple comparisons problem), excluding half of the participants. At week 8 LDL-c was statistically significant but not other weeks…
Which study? The japanese or Korean. Or the meta analysis,?
The study done in Japan, both are Korean studies.
It was “interesting” (according to the authors) that there was an effect at 8 weeks in LDL-c.
How come? It seems to be that the field is very bullish on the new Lp(a) lowering meds
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Because while Lp(a) is the worst kind of apoB particle, it only accounts for a low percentage of all apoB particles.
Although a low percentage, it’s apparently enough to cause atherosclerosis. Multiple drug companies wouldn’t be betting millions of dollars if the theory weren’t strong, and it definitely is strong from all the papers I’ve seen.
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I think we’re talking about the same study - the one carried out at a Japanese hospital? Fukuoka University Hospital?
"Shady"seems a bit strong. Nothing inherently wrong measuring multiple things every 4 weeks. The low compliance was obviously an issue but i think “shady” suggests dubious integrity. Notwithstanding the small sample size, the results look pretty decent for hba1c, blood pressure and hdl/ldl ratio improvements.
It also gives an interesting insight into a possible reason for the negative 2006 german study : "
At the baseline of the study, however, all the participants (mean age: 56 ± 12 years old, body mass index = 27.2 ± 3.6) were patients with hypercholesterolemia who quit statin 6 weeks ago."
Trying to disentangle the statin termination affect would be a bit messy.
I give a lot of credence to Japanese studies. I would say they are more truthful than those from other countries including the USA.
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It is a South Korean study.
By the way, there are a lot of statins available and as Peter recommends is “to try a couple” until one gets a statin with the lowest amount of side effects. Of course if you aren’t going to use Bempedoic Acid.
I’ve ordered and paid for my bempedoic acid. I hope it works. Also ordered more Ezetimibe and Metformin from Jagdish. My courier will bring it over at Christmas.
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It will. Bempedoic Acid and Ezetimibe will be a good combo. How is Ezetimibe moving your apoB or LDL-c levels?
I’ll do my next blood work around Christmas. So I should know by early January. 
Here’s hoping for the best.
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Is it important that you think it’s a South Korean study? I’m not sure what the relevance is? I was shorthand referring to it as ‘the japanese study’ to distinguish it from the other positive (SKorean) study and because it was carried out on Japanese subjects at Fukuhama university hospital in Japan. But yes the lead author and much of the work was done in S Korea. So it is technically an international study. But im not sure what the relevance is?
And yes i have heard of statins. ; ) But I’m not sure why they are relevant to this discussion on whether policosanol is beneficial ( or not) to BP, hba1c and blood lipids. Anuser, you seem to be fighting some battle rather than wanting to assess the evidence. That makes for bad science.
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The relevance is that it’s false.
I am not discussing policosanol when mentioning statins, that was a response to DeStrider.
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Anuser, It’s equally false to call a study carried out on Japanese subjects at Fukuoka University Hospital (in Japan) by scientists from both Japan and S Korea a “Korean study”. So my question really was about whether your focus on this had any substantive importance.
I’m quite interested in policosanol (because I keep bees), does anyone have any experience of using it? The blood pressure results look robust (Policosanol supplementation significantly improves blood pressure among adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - PubMed) and im interested if anyone has experience of this?