Abstract
Metabolic syndrome is closely associated with higher risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and stroke. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effects of policosanol supplementation on blood pressure (BP) and the lipid profile in healthy Korean participants with pre-hypertension (systolic 120–139 mmHg, diastolic 85–89 mmHg). This randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial included 84 healthy participants who were randomly assigned to three groups receiving 10 mg of policosanol, 20 mg of policosanol, or placebo for 24 weeks. The BP, lipid profile, and anthropometric factors were measured pre- and post-intervention and then compared. Based on an average of three measurements of brachial BP, the policosanol 20 mg group showed the most significant reduction in average systolic BP (SBP) from 138 ± 12 mmHg at week 0 to 126 ± 13 mmHg at week 24 (p < 0.0001). The policosanol 20 mg group also showed significant reductions in aortic SBP and DBP up to 9% (p = 0.00057) and 8% (p = 0.004), respectively compared with week 0. Additionally, blood renin and aldosterone levels were significantly reduced in the policosanol 20 mg group up to 63% (p < 0.01) and 42% (p < 0.05), respectively, at week 24. For the blood lipid profile, the policosanol 10 mg and 20 mg groups showed significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC) of around 8% (p = 0.029) and 13% (p = 0.0004), respectively, at week 24 compared with week 0. Serum HDL-C level significantly increased up to 16% and 12% in the policosanol 10 mg (p = 0.002) and 20 mg (p = 0.035) group, respectively. The study results suggest that long-term policosanol consumption simultaneously reduces peripheral BP as well as aortic BP accompanied by elevation of HDL-C and % HDL-C in TC in a dose-dependent manner.
Highlights
Hypertension is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is often accompanied by other risk factors such as dyslipidemia (Nelson, 2013; Lee et al, 2017)
This study was a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of Cuban policosanol on blood pressure (BP) and serum lipids in healthy participants who had pre-hypertension
The current results show that 24 weeks of policosanol consumption resulted in significant lowering of brachial BP and central aortic BP in a dose-dependent manner as well as lowering of serum renin and aldosterone levels in pre-hypertensive participants
Summary
Hypertension is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is often accompanied by other risk factors such as dyslipidemia (Nelson, 2013; Lee et al, 2017). It is well-known that serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) is inversely correlated with incidence of aging-related diseases such as CVD, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease (McGrowder et al, 2010; Reitz et al, 2010; Hirano et al, 2014). In addition to HDL-C quantity, it has been firmly established that HDL quality and functionality are more important in the suppression of aging-related diseases (Eren et al, 2012). Cuban policosanol (PCO) was reported to lower TC and lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as well as increase HDLC levels by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis and increasing LDL-C excretion (Janikula, 2002; Lee et al, 2016; Kim et al, 2017)
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