Octacosanol is a waxy substance present in
some plant oils and is one of the primary components of the sugar cane
extract called
policosanol which is available over the counter as a pill.
MultiVit Rx
High Quality Daily Vitamins and Minerals
Octacosanol side effects or toxicity, adverse reactions
No side effects of any significance have yet been reported with
octacosanol, but then again hardly any research has been done with this nutrient
in terms of long term benefit or risk to human consumption.
Octacosanol Research and review
Lipids. 2008. Octacosanol administration to humans decreases neutral
sterol and bile acid concentration in feces. To investigate octacosanol (OC)
metabolism in humans and its influence on cholesterol metabolism, two studies
were conducted. In the first study ten healthy women received daily 30 mg OC for
a period of 4 weeks. The decrease in the concentration of fecal cholesterol end
products may underline a systemic effect of OC on cholesterol metabolism, even
though the serum cholesterol levels were not influenced.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2010. Protective effects of octacosanol on 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinsonism in rats via regulation of ProNGF and NGF signaling.
Nutritional significance and metabolism of very long chain fatty
alcohols and acids from dietary waxes.
Exp Biol Med. 2004.
Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Very long chain fatty alcohols obtained from plant waxes and beeswax
have been reported to lower plasma cholesterol in humans. This review
discusses nutritional or regulatory effects produced by wax esters or
aliphatic acids and alcohols found in unrefined cereal grains, beeswax,
and many plant-derived foods. Reports suggest that 5-20 mg per day of
mixed C24-C34 alcohols, including octacosanol and triacontanol, lower
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 21%-29% and raise
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 8%-15%. Wax esters are hydrolyzed
by a bile salt-dependent pancreatic carboxyl esterase, releasing long
chain alcohols and fatty acids that are absorbed in the gastrointestinal
tract. Studies of fatty alcohol metabolism in fibroblasts suggest that
very long chain fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes, and fatty acids are
reversibly inter-converted in a fatty alcohol cycle. The metabolism of
these compounds is impaired in several inherited human peroxisomal
disorders, including adrenoleukodystrophy and Sjogren-Larsson syndrome.
Reports on dietary management of these diseases confirm that very long
chain fatty acids (VLCFA) are normal constituents of the human diet and
are synthesized endogenously. Concentrations of VLCFA in blood plasma
increase during fasting and when children are placed on ketogenic diets to
suppress seizures. Existing data support the hypothesis that VLCFA exert
regulatory roles in cholesterol metabolism in the peroxisome and also
alter LDL uptake and metabolism.
Octacosanol supplementation increases running endurance time and improves
biochemical parameters after exhaustion in trained rats.
J Med Food. 2003.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned
to one of three groups - sedentary control group (SC), exercise-trained
control group (EC), and exercise-trained, octacosanol-supplemented group
(EO) - and raised on either control or octacosanol (0.75%)-supplemented
diet with (or without for SC rats) exercise-training for 4 weeks. EC rats
ran 184% longer until exhaustion than SC rats, while octacosanol-supplemented trained rats ran 46% longer than EC rats. Under the exhausted state immediately following the running
performance test, EO rats exhibited significantly higher plasma ammonia
and lactate concentrations compared with the values for EC rats.
Although EO rats ran significantly longer until exhausted, their plasma
glucose level and gastronecmius muscle glycogen concentration were not
significantly different from those of EC rats. Dietary supplementation of
octacosanol resulted in significantly higher creatine phosphokinase
activity in plasma (44% increase) and citrate synthase activity in
muscle (16% increase) of exercise-trained rats. These results
suggest that the ergogenic properties of octacosanol include the sparing
of muscle glycogen stores and increases in the oxidative capacity in the
muscle of exercise-trained rats.
Effects of octacosanol in food physiological parameters in tail-suspended
rats
Space Med Med Eng. 1997.
The purposes of the experiment were to observe the physiological effects of
octacosanol in food on tail-suspended rats and to investigate the possibility of
using octacosanol in health food for astronauts. 24 male Wistar rats were
randomly divided into free action control, tail-suspension and tail suspension
plus octacosanol (TSO) groups. Octacosanol was emulsified into water by
supersound and given to TSO rats with a dosage of 25 mg/kg wt day. The results
showed that octacosanol elevated the weight of thymus, improved biomechanical
properties of the femur and improved membrane fluidity of red blood cell. It
suggests that octacosanol can counteract some effects of simulated
weightlessness on rats. Therefore, octacosanol may be added to natural foods to
benefit the health of cosmonauts.
Trial of octacosanol in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Neurology. 1986.
Octacosanol was tried in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a double-blind,
placebo-controlled, crossover design. Neurologic and pulmonary function
evaluations showed no benefit.
Rodent trials
Int J Mol Science. 2012. Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of
Octacosanol from the Leaves of Sabicea grisea in Mice.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2010. Protective effects of octacosanol on 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinsonism in rats via regulation of ProNGF and NGF signaling.
Emails
Q. Can CoQ10 pill be taken
together with octacosanol supplement?
A. As long as the dose of CoQ10 is reasonable such as
50 mg or less, I don't see a problem.
Q. I have read that you should not exceed the dosage of
octacosanol supplement past 20mg, but if you are a weight lifter and very active
could you take more or would it be counter productive or non beneficial and why?
I always know where to look for moderate sound advise -thank you. keep up the
excellent work!
A. There is no specific octacosanol mg dosage that is correct but
in general those who are active can tolerate higher dosages of certain
supplements. Little human research is available regarding octacosanol
supplements as of July 2008 to make any more specific statements.