Policosanol: A Rival To Statins, Without The Side Effects?

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Policosanol (which can be extracted from various sources, but is mostly made from sugar cane extract) is marketed as lipid-lowering agent for improving cholesterol levels, but its research history has not been without controversy:

2001: it works!

After a lot of research in the 1990s, it came out of the gate strong in 2001, with:

❝Policosanol (5 and 10 mg/day) significantly decreased LDL-cholesterol (17.3% and 26.7%, respectively), total cholesterol (12.9% and 19.5%), as well as the ratios of LDL-cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (17.2% and 26.5%) and total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (16.3% and 21.0%) compared with baseline and placebo❞

This, by the way, is comparable in efficacy to the most powerful statins, but without the adverse side effects.

Source: Efficacy and tolerability of policosanol in hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women

Furthermore, its effects were not limited to postmenopausal women, and additionally, it was found that 20mg/day was sufficient for optimal effects; 40mg worked exactly the same as 20mg:

Read: Effects of policosanol 20 versus 40 mg/day in the treatment of patients with type II hypercholesterolemia: a 6-month double-blind study

2006–2010: we do not trust the Cubans!

After it had been marketed and used in much of the world for some years, extra scrutiny was brought upon it, because the initial studies had been performed by the same lab in Cuba, a commercial lab that had tested them for a private interest (i.e., a company selling the supplement):

Heart Beat: Policosanol: A sweet nothing for high cholesterol

And furthermore, US-based labs were unable to replicate the results:

Policosanols as Nutraceuticals: Fact or Fiction

The Cuban researchers countered that the composition of policosanol as produced in their lab was different than the composition of the policosanol as produced in the US labs, because of the purity of the ingredients used in the Cuban lab.

Which, on the face of it, could be true or could just be the claim of a commercial lab with an association with a company selling a product.

Of course, importing Cuban ingredients to test them in the US was not a reasonably accessible option for the US-based labs, because of the US’s embargo of Cuba. In principle it could be done, but unless there is already a huge clear profit incentive, research scientists are usually on their hands and knees begging for grants already, so getting extra funding for specially-important Cuban ingredients was not going to be likely.

2012: never mind, it does work after all!

An American meta-analysis of 4596 patients from 52 eligible studies (from around the world, so many of them not affected by the US’s embargo; some were from within the US using non-Cuban ingredients, though), found:

❝policosanol is more effective than plant sterols and stanols for LDL level reduction and more favorably alters the lipid profile, approaching antilipemic drug efficacy❞

Those last words there, to be clear, mean “yes, the original claim of being on a par with statins is at least more or less true”.

Source: Meta-Analysis of Natural Therapies for Hyperlipidemia: Plant Sterols and Stanols versus Policosanol

2018: also yes, the Cuban kind does get those extra-effective results, even when tested outside of Cuba

A Korean research team verified this; it’s quite straightforward so for brevity we’ll just drop links:

Mystery resolved!

Want to try some?

We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon—it’s not the Cuban kind, because the US’s trade embargo makes it difficult for the US to import even things that are theoretically now exempt from the embargo such as food and medicines. In principle they can now be imported, but in practice, the extra regulations added to Cuban imports make it nearly impossible, especially for small sellers.

Still, it’s 40mg/tablet policosanol from sugar cane extract, and 3rd party lab tested, so it’s the next best thing 😎

Enjoy!

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    Awakening Your Ikigai: A practical guide to finding purpose in life. Start today and discover the small details that bring you joy.

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  • 50 Ways To Rewire Your Anxious Brain – by Dr. Catherine Pittman & Dr. Maha Zayed-Hoffman

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The book is divided into sections:

    1. Calming the amygdala
    2. Rewiring the amygdala
    3. Calming the cortex
    4. Resisting cortex traps

    …each with a dozen or so ways to do exactly what it says in the title: rewire your anxious brain.

    The authors take the stance that since our brain is changing all the time, we might as well choose the direction we prefer. They then set out to provide the tools for the lay reader to do that, and (in that fourth section we mentioned) how to avoid accidentally doing the opposite, no matter how tempting doing the opposite may be.

    For a book written by two PhD scientists where a large portion of it is about neuroscience, the style is very light pop science (just a few in-line citations every few pages, where they couldn’t resist the urge), and the focus is on being useful to the reader throughout. This all makes for reassuringly science-based but accessibly readable book.

    The fact that the main material comes in the form of 50 very short chapters also makes it a lot more readable for those for whom sitting down to read a lot at a time can be off-putting.

    Bottom line: if you experience anxiety and would like to experience it less, this book will guide you through how to get there.

    Click here to check out 50 Ways To Rewire Your Anxious Brain, and rewire your anxious brain!

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  • Optimism Seriously Increases Longevity!

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    Always look on the bright side for life

    ❝I’m not a pessimist; I’m a realist!❞

    ~ every pessimist ever

    To believe self-reports, the world is divided between optimists and realists. But how does your outlook measure up, really?

    Below, we’ve included a link to a test, and like most free online tests, this is offered “as-is” with the usual caveats about not being a clinical diagnostic tool, this one actually has a fair amount of scientific weight behind it:

    ❝Empirical testing has indicated the validity of the Optimism Pessimism Instrument as published in the scientific journal Current Psychology: Research and Reviews.

    The IDRlabs Optimism/Pessimism Test (IDR-OPT) was developed by IDRlabs. The IDR-OPT is based on the Optimism/Pessimism Instrument (OPI) developed by Dr. William Dember, Dr. Stephanie Martin, Dr. Mary Hummer, Dr. Steven Howe, and Dr. Richard Melton, at the University of Cincinnati.❞

    Take This Short (1–2 mins) Test

    How did you score? And what could you do to improve on that score?

    We said before that we’d do a main feature on this sometime, and today’s the day! Fits with the theme of Easter too, as for those who observe, this is a time for a celebration of hope, new beginnings, and life stepping out of the shadows.

    On which note, before we go any further, let’s look at a very big “why” of optimism…

    There have been many studies done regards optimism and health, and they generally come to the same conclusion: optimism is simply good for the health.

    Here’s an example. It’s a longitudinal study, and it followed 121,700 women (what a sample size!) for eight years. It controlled for all kinds of other lifestyle factors (especially smoking, drinking, diet, and exercise habits, as well as pre-existing medical conditions), so this wasn’t a case of “people who are healthy are more optimistic as a result. And, in the researchers’ own words…

    ❝We found strong and statistically significant associations of increasing levels of optimism with decreasing risks of mortality, including mortality due each major cause of death, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection.

    Importantly, findings were maintained after close control for potential confounding factors, including sociodemographic characteristics and depression❞

    Read: Optimism and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study

    So that’s the why. Now for the how…

    Positive thinking is not what you think it is

    A lot of people think of “think positive thoughts” as a very wishy-washy platitude, but positive thinking isn’t about ignoring what’s wrong, or burying every negative emotion.

    Rather, it is taking advantage of the basic CBT, DBT, and, for that matter, NLP principles:

    • Our feelings are driven by our thoughts
    • Our thoughts can be changed by how we frame things

    This is a lot like the idea that “there’s not such thing as bad weather; only the wrong clothes”. Clearly written by someone who’s never been in a hurricane, but by and large, the principle stands true.

    For example…

    • Most problems can be reframed as opportunities
    • Replace “I have to…” with “I get to…”
    • Will the task be arduous? It’ll be all the better looking back on it.
    • Did you fail abjectly? Be proud that you lived true to your values anyway.

    A lot of this is about focusing on what you can control. If you live your life by your values (first figure out what they are, if you haven’t already), then that will become a reassuring thing that you can always count on, no matter what.

    Practice positive self-talk (eliminate the negative)

    We often learn, usually as children, to be self deprecatory so as to not appear immodest. While modesty certainly has its place, we don’t have to trash ourselves to do that!

    There are various approaches to this, for example:

    • Replacing a self-criticism (whether it was true or not) with a neutral or positive statement that you know is true. “I suck at xyz” is just putting yourself down, “Xyz is a challenge for me” asks the question, how will you rise to it?
    • Replacing a self-criticism with irony. It doesn’t matter how dripping with sarcasm your inner voice is, the words will still be better. “Glamorous as ever!” after accidentally putting mascara in your eye. “So elegant and graceful!” after walking into furniture. And so on.

    Practice radical acceptance

    This evokes the “optimistic nihilism” approach to life. It’s perhaps not best in all scenarios, but if you’re consciously and rationally pretty sure something is going to be terrible (and/or know it’s completely outside of your control), acknowledging that possibility (or even, likelihood) cheerfully. Borrowing from the last tip, this can be done with as much irony as you find necessary. For example:

    Facing a surgery the recovery from which you know categorically will be very painful: with a big smile “Yep, I am going to be in a lot of pain, so that’s going to be fun!” (fun fact: psychological misery will not make the physical pain any less painful, so you might as well see the funny side) ← see link for additional benefits laughter can add to health-related quality of life)

    Plan for the future with love

    You know the whole “planting trees in whose shade you’ll never sit”, thing, but: actually for yourself too. Plan (and act!) now, out of love and compassion for your future self.

    Simple example: preparing (or semi-preparing, if appropriate) breakfast for yourself the night before, when you know in the morning you’ll be tired, hungry, and/or pressed for time. You’ll wake up, remember that you did that, and…

    Tip: at moments like that, take a moment to think “Thanks, past me”. (Or call yourself by your name, whatever works for you. For example I, your writer here, might say to myself “Thanks, past Nastja!”)

    This helps to build a habit of gratitude for your past self and love for your future self.

    This goes for little things like the above, but it also goes for things whereby there’s much longer-term delayed gratification, such as:

    • Healthy lifestyle changes (usually these see slow, cumulative progress)
    • Good financial strategies (usually these see slow, cumulative progress)
    • Long educational courses (usually these see slow, cumulative progress)

    Basically: pay it forward to your future self, and thank yourself later!

    Some quick ideas of systems and apps that go hard on the “long slow cumulative progress” approach that you can look back on with pride:

    • Noom—nutritional program with a psychology-based approach to help you attain and maintain your goals, long term
    • You Need A Budget—we’ve recommended it before and we’ll recommend it again. This is so good. If you click through, you can see a short explanation of what makes it so different to other budgeting apps.
    • Duolingo—the famously persistence-motivational language learning app

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  • New Year, New Health Habits?

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    It’s that time of the year, and many of us hope to make this our healthiest year yet—or at least significantly improve it in some particular area that’s important to us! So, what news from the health world?

    The rise of GLP-1 agonists continues

    GLP-1 agonists have surged in popularity in the past year, and it looks like that trend is set to continue in the new one. The title of the below-linked pop-science article is slightly misleading, it’s not “almost three quarters of UK women”, but rather, “72% of the women using the digital weight loss platform Juniper”, which means the sample is confined to people interested in weight loss. Still, of those interested in weight loss, 72% is a lot, and the sample size was over 1000:

    Read in full: New Year, new approach to weight loss: Almost three quarters of UK women are considering using GLP-1s in 2025

    Related: 5 ways to naturally boost the “Ozempic Effect” ← these natural methods “hack” the same metabolic pathways as GLP-1 agonists do (it has to do with incretin levels), causing similar results

    The lesser of two evils

    Smoking is terrible, for everything. Vaping is… Not great, honestly, but as the below-discussed study shows, at the very least it results in much less severe respiratory symptoms than actual smoking. For many, vaping is a halfway-house to actually quitting; for some, it’s just harm reduction, and that too can be worthwhile.

    We imagine that probably very few 10almonds readers smoke cigarettes, but we know quite a few use cannabis, which is discussed also:

    Read in full: Switching to e-cigarettes may ease respiratory symptoms, offering hope for smokers

    Related: Vaping: A Lot Of Hot Air? ← we look at the pros, cons, and popular beliefs that were true a little while ago but now they’re largely not (because of regulatory changes re what’s allowed in vapes)

    Sometimes, more is more

    The below-linked pop-science article has a potentially confusingly-worded title that makes it sound like increased exercise duration results in decreasing marginal returns (i.e., after a certain point, you’re getting very limited extra benefits), but in fact the study says the opposite.

    Rather, increased moderate exercise (so, walking etc) results in a commensurately decreasing weight and a decreasing waistline.

    In short: walk more, lose more (pounds and inches). The study examined those who moved their bodies for 150–300 minutes per week:

    Read in full: Increased exercise duration linked to decreasing results in weight and waistline

    Related: The Doctor Who Wants Us To Exercise Less, & Move More

    Take care!

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Related Posts

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  • The Wim Hof Method – by Wim Hof

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    In Wednesday’s main feature, we wrote about the Wim Hof Method, and/but only scratched the surface. Such is the downside of being a super-condensed newsletter! However, it does give us the opportunity to feature the book:

    The Wim Hof Method is definitely loudly trumpeted as “up there” with Atomic Habits or How Not To Die in the category of “life-changing” books. Why?

    Firstly, it’s a very motivational book. Hof is a big proponent of the notion “if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” idea, practises what he preaches, and makes clear he’s not special.

    Secondly, it’s backed up with science. While it’s not a science-heavy book and that’s not the main focus, there are references to studies. Where physiological explanations are given for how certain things work, those explanations are sound. There’s no pseudoscience here, which is especially important for a book of this genre!

    What does the book have that our article didn’t? A good few things:

    • More about Hof’s own background and where it’s taken him. This is generally not a reason people buy books (unless they are biographies), but it’s interesting nonetheless.
    • A lot more advice, data, and information about Cold Therapy and how it can (and, he argues convincingly, should) be built into your life.
    • A lot about breathing exercises that we just didn’t cover at all in our article, but is actually an important part of the Wim Hof Method.
    • More about stepping through the psychological barriers that can hold us back.

    Bottom line: this book offers benefits that stretch into many areas of life, from some simple habits that can be built.

    Pick up your copy of The Wim Hof Method from Amazon today!

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  • Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?

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    A spoonful of pepper makes the… Hang on, no, that’s not right…

    We know that spices are the spice of life, and many have great health-giving qualities. But…

    1. How much is the right amount?
    2. What’s the minimum to get health benefits?
    3. What’s the maximum to avoid toxicity?

    That last one always seems like a scary question, but please bear in mind: everything is toxic at a certain dose. Oxygen, water, you-name-it.

    On the other hand, many things have a toxicity so low that one could not physically consume it sufficiently faster than the body eliminates it, to get a toxic build-up.

    Consider, for example, the €50 banknote that was nearly withdrawn from circulation because one of the dyes used in it was found to be toxic. However, the note remained in circulation after scientists patiently explained that a person would have to eat many thousands of them to get a lethal dose.

    So, let’s address these questions in reverse order:

    What’s the maximum to avoid toxicity?

    In the case of the spices we’ll look at today, the human body generally* has high tolerance for them if eaten at levels that we find comfortable eating.

    *IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have (or may have) a medical condition that may be triggered by spices, go easier on them (or if appropriate, abstain completely) after you learn about that.

    Check with your own physician if unsure, because not only are we not doctors, we’re specifically not your doctors, and cannot offer personalized health advice.

    We’re going to be talking in averages and generalizations here. Caveat consumator.

    For most people, unless you are taking the spice in such quantities that you are folding space and seeing the future, or eating them as the main constituents of your meal rather than an embellishment, you should be fine. Please don’t enter a chilli-eating contest and sue us.

    What is the minimum to get health benefits and how much should we eat?

    The science of physiology generally involves continuous rather than discrete data, so there’s not so much a hard threshold, as a point at which the benefits become significant. The usefulness of most nutrients we consume, be they macro- or micro-, will tend to have a bell curve.

    In other words, a tiny amount won’t do much, the right amount will have a good result, and usefulness will tail off after that point. To that end, we’re going to look at the “sweet spot” of peaking on the graph.

    Also note: the clinical dose is the dose of the compound, not the amount of the food that one will need to eat to get that dose. For example, food x containing compound y will not usually contain that compound at 100% rate and nothing else. We mention this so that you’re not surprised when we say “the recommended dose is 5mg of compound, so take a teaspoon of this spice”, for example.

    Further note: we only have so much room here, so we’re going to list only the top benefits, and not delve into the science of them. You can see the related main features for more details, though!

    The “big 5” health-giving spices, with their relevant active compound:

    • Black pepper (piperine)
    • Hot pepper* (capsaicin)
    • Garlic (allicin)
    • Ginger (gingerol)
    • Turmeric (curcumin**)

    *Cayenne pepper is very high in capsaicin; chilli peppers are also great

    **not the same thing as cumin, which is a completely different plant. Cumin does have some health benefits of its own, but not in the same league as the spices above, and there’s only so much we have room to cover today.

    Black pepper

    • Benefits: antioxidant, anti-cancer, boosts bioavailability of other nutrients, aids digestion
    • Dosage: 5–20mg for benefits
    • Suggestion: ½ teaspoon of black pepper is sufficient for benefits. However, this writer’s kitchen dictum in this case is “if you can’t see the black pepper in/on the food, add more”—but that’s more about taste!
    • Related main feature: Black Pepper’s Anti-Cancer Arsenal (And More)

    Hot Pepper

    Garlic

    • Benefits: heart health, blood sugar balancing, anti-cancer
    • Dosage: 4–8µg for benefits
    • Suggestion: 1–2 cloves daily is generally good. However, cooking reduces allicin content (and so does oxidation after cutting/crushing), so you may want to adjust accordingly if doing those things.
    • Related main feature: The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic

    Ginger

    • Benefits: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-nausea
    • Dosage: 3–4g for benefits
    • Suggestion: 1 teaspoon grated raw ginger or ½ a teaspoon powdered ginger, can be used in baking or as part of the seasoning for a stir-fry
    • Related main feature: Ginger Does A Lot More Than You Think

    Turmeric

    Closing notes

    The above five spices are very healthful for most people. Personal physiology can and will vary, so if in doubt, a) check with your doctor b) start at lowest doses and establish your tolerance (or lack thereof).

    Enjoy, and stay well!

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  • 12 Things Your Urine Says About Your Health (Test At Home)

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    Urine has been used to assess health since Ancient Egypt (fun fact: because of Egyptian language having multiple sounds that get transliterated to “a” in English, the condition of passing blood in one’s urine was known as “Aaaaa” ← this word has three syllables; “Aa-a-aa”).

    Modern techniques are more advanced than those of times past (for example, diabetes is no longer diagnosed by a urine taste-test), but basic urine inspection is still a very useful indicator of many things. Recognizing changes in urine can even help detect life-threatening conditions early:

    Traffic lights?

    How urine works: water that we consume is absorbed into the bloodstream and filtered by the kidneys. Urine is essentially blood with actual the blood cells filtered out and/or broken down. The yellow color comes from urochrome, produced during red blood cell breakdown. Here’s how things can happen a little differently:

    1. Fluorescent yellow: caused by excess vitamin B2 from supplements; harmless.
    2. Red urine: can indicate blood (bladder cancer, UTIs), hemoglobin, or myoglobin; seek medical attention.
    3. Dark brown/tea-colored urine: may result from muscle damage or blood cell destruction; requires evaluation.
    4. Orange urine: caused by dehydration, medications, or liver/bile duct issues (if paired with pale stools).
    5. Purple urine: UTI bacteria produce pigments that can cause this; treatable with antibiotics.
    6. Green urine: rare; caused by medications or dyes like methylene blue.
    7. Frothy/foamy urine: indicates high protein levels, often from kidney damage (e.g. per diabetes and/or hypertension).
    8. Crystal-clear urine: suggests overhydration, which can dangerously lower sodium levels.
    9. Dark yellow/amber urine: may mean dehydration; drink more water to maintain a light yellow color.
    10. Not peeing enough: may indicate severe dehydration or kidney failure; urgent medical attention needed.
    11. Peeing too much: often linked to diabetes or excessive water intake; can lead to dehydration or low sodium.
    12. Color-changing urine: port wine color signals porphyria; black urine indicates alkaptonuria (oxidation of homogentisic acid). Both are serious.

    Bonus: if you eat a lot of beetroot and then your urine is pink/red/purple, that’s probably just the pigments passing through. If it persists though, then of course, see above.

    For more on each of these, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Why You Don’t Need 8 Glasses Of Water Per Day

    Take care!

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