Fatty Acid and Phytosterol Content of Commercial Saw Palmetto Supplements

Kavitha Penugonda,Brian Lindshield

doi:10.3390/nu5093617

Abstract

Saw palmetto supplements are one of the most commonly consumed supplements by men with prostate cancer and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Some studies have found significant improvements in BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) with saw palmetto supplementation, whereas others found no benefits. The variation in the efficacy in these trials may be a result of differences in the putative active components, fatty acids and phytosterols, of the saw palmetto supplements. To this end, we quantified the major fatty acids (laurate, myristate, palmitate, stearate, oleate, linoleate) and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol) in 20 commercially available saw palmetto supplements using GC-FID and GC-MS, respectively. Samples were classified into liquids, powders, dried berries, and tinctures. Liquid saw palmetto supplements contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of total fatty acids (908.5 mg/g), individual fatty acids, total phytosterols (2.04 mg/g), and individual phytosterols, than the other supplement categories. Powders contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of total fatty acids than tinctures, which contain negligible amounts of fatty acids (46.3 mg/g) and phytosterols (0.10 mg/g). Our findings suggest that liquid saw palmetto supplements may be the best choice for individuals who want to take a saw palmetto supplement with the highest concentrations of both fatty acids and phytosterols.

Highlights

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) herbal supplements are commonly used by men to combat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate
Fatty acid quantities and percentages of the Standard reference material (SRM), liquid, powder, dried berry, and tincture saw palmetto supplements are shown in Tables 2 and 3
We found great variability in total and individual fatty acid and phytosterol quantities and percentages in 20 commercial saw palmetto supplements

Summary

Introduction

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) herbal supplements are commonly used by men to combat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate. In addition to BPH, these supplements are commonly consumed by men diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2011, over $18 million in saw palmetto was sold in the United States, ranking third among herbal dietary supplements [2]. A systematic literature review of 11 studies identified saw palmetto supplements as one of five commonly used complementary or alternative medicine modalities by men with prostate cancer; use was 1.9%–24.9% [3]. Another study found that 13.8% of unaffected men whose brothers had been diagnosed with prostate cancer had taken saw palmetto at some point in their lives [4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion