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?
I didn’t notice they had Japanese scientists as well, because all of the lead authors are South Korean. I wouldn’t call it a Korean study now, thanks for pointing that out. I have zero interest in policosanol personally and it would require a lot of evidence to convince me otherwise. I think that for most supplements though.
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But that puts you into faith of pharmacology and pharmacology is run by industry that has one main purpose, earn money. So some old medicines without patent (and supplements for the argument sake) don’t stand a chance to get sufficient funding and large scale studies you think offer enough evidence.
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That doesn’t mean anything to me.
So I don’t use them when there are alternatives that do have that evidence.
Compare the level of evidence shown in an EMA assessement report with those 20 person supplement studies:
Pharma is the same as supplements, just it has about 100 times more evidence of safety and efficacy.
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In my perspective, considering that rapamycin appears to elevate LDL/ApoB even in pulsatile doses for anti-aging, it seems logical to address the elevated atherogenic lipoproteins it may cause. We are certain that these lipoproteins contribute to atherosclerosis, although we currently lack human data on the potential protective effect of rapamycin, despite its promising nature. There’s a possibility that rapamycin is atherogenic through its lipid effects while simultaneously being anti-atherogenic through anti-inflammatory/antiproliferative effects. The question remains as to which mechanism prevails, and whether it is consistent across all individuals.
Effectively lowering lipids is a separate challenge, with a high-quality diet being the safest initial approach. Personally, I favor options like ezetimibe, amla extract, citrus bergamot, and PCSK9 inhibitors. While statins are effective medications, they come with a higher risk of side effects.
Addressing elevated glucose levels is another concern, and I believe it’s essential to approach it seriously. Ideally, treatment should involve reducing body fat and increasing exercise, with further steps taken conservatively if necessary to minimize the risk of side effects, as seen with lipid management.
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Amla extract and citrus bergamot have limited amount of evidence of safety since they are supplements and citrus bergamot if I remember correctly is a dirty drug.
Statins are perfectly safe if someone doesn’t get muscle side effects, elevated liver enzymes, insulin resistance and possibly decrease in desmosterol levels especially with APOE4 allele.
edit: nevermind I am talking with a GPT spam bot.