Fatty acid and phytosterol profiles of commercial saw palmetto supplements

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 with saw palmetto supplementation, while others found no benefits. The variation in the efficacy in these trials may be a result of differences in fatty acid and phytosterol composition of the saw palmetto supplements used, since these are the putative active components. To this end, we quantified the major fatty acids (lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic acids) and phytosterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, β‐sitosterol) in 22 commercially available saw palmetto supplements using GC/FID & GC/MS, respectively. Samples were classified into liquids, powders, dried berries, and tinctures. Liquid saw palmetto supplements contained higher levels of individual fatty acids, total fatty acids, individual phytosterols, and total phytosterols than the other supplement classes. Powders contained higher levels of individual fatty acids, total fatty acids, individual phytosterols, and total phytosterols than tinctures, which contain negligible amounts of these nutrients. Our findings suggest that certain saw palmetto supplements may be better choices if fatty acid & phytosterol levels are important to their efficacy.