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Efficacy and safety of sugarcane policosanol on dyslipidemia: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Author(s) -
Gong Jing,
Qin Xin,
Yuan Fen,
Hu Meilin,
Chen Guang,
Fang Ke,
Wang Dingkun,
Jiang Shujun,
Li Jingbin,
Zhao Yan,
Huang Zhaoyi,
Dong Hui,
Lu Fuer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
molecular nutrition and food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.495
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1613-4133
pISSN - 1613-4125
DOI - 10.1002/mnfr.201700280
Subject(s) - dyslipidemia , meta analysis , cochrane library , medicine , placebo , triglyceride , adverse effect , subgroup analysis , randomized controlled trial , pharmacology , traditional medicine , cholesterol , obesity , alternative medicine , pathology
Scope This study aimed to systematically investigate whether sugarcane policosanol was effective and safe on dyslipidemia. Methods and results A total of 11 databases including the PubMed, Web of science, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane library and SinoMed databases were searched for available studies investigating the effects of policosanol on dyslipidemia. A total of 22 studies including 1886 subjects were included in the analysis. The pooled results showed that compared with placebo, sugarcane policosanol could significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC, 95% CI: −0.87 to −0.30 mmol/L) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐c, 95% CI: −1.02 to −0.40 mmol/L) and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol; however, no significant effects were observed on triglyceride (TG) and body weight. Subgroup analysis suggested the studies from Cuba obtained more effective data than those outside this country, and the effects were not proportional to the dose. The adverse effects analysis demonstrated that sugarcane policosanol was safer than the control agents. Conclusion The pooled results supported the lipid‐lowering effects and safety of policosanol. Because of the high heterogeneity, the better treatment effects observed in the Cuban studies and the inconsistent dose‐response relationship, more clinical trials are needed to further confirm the efficacy of policosanol on dyslipidemia.