The study, published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Invention, used as a study material a dietary supplement ingredient branded as Arteroprotect, which is a combination of a form of Vitamin K2/MK& from Bacillus subtilis Natto branded as VitaMK7 by its producer Italian firm Gnosis with octacosanol, said by the ingredient developer to be the main constituent of policosanol, which is a name used for an assortment of alcohols derived from sugar cane and other plant sources. The K2/octacosanol combination is branded and marketed by Abela Pharm, a Serbian firm. The product contains 45μg of K2 and 20mg of octacosanol.
Policosanol debuted with great promise in the early 2000s with positive studies of the ingredient’s effects on blood lipid markers conducted by scientists in Cuba, where the alcohols were first isolated from sugar cane. Subsequent studies failed to match these results, though there is some disagreement about the similarity of test materials.
Large, heterogeneous groups
The study was structured as a multi site “prospective clinical study” and included 6,595 subjects who were recruited from patients seen at medical centers in Serbia. The subjects were divided into two groups, a treatment group of 4,031 subjects receiving the supplement and 2,564 subjects in a control group. The study was administered by 76 general practitioners, internal medicine specialists and cardiologist.
The groups differed somewhat, with the supplement group averaging slightly older than the control group. Both groups were weighted more heavily toward men than women, which the researchers surmised was because women were more likely to seek treatment for cardiovascular disease symptoms and to seek medical care generally. Slightly more than half of the study group (55.6%) were classified as obese, whereas the obesity rate in the control group was somewhat lower. Smoking as a habit was more prevalent in both groups than it is in the US at the moment, with 48% of the test group identified as smokers and 46% of the control group. Most of the subjects in both groups had a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or risk factors, with hypertension being the most common diagnosis. A majority of the subjects in both groups were also being treated with statins or other medications.
Lowering LDL, triglycerides, boosting HDL
The Arteroprotect product was administered to the study group on a once-daily dose. Blood was drawn at the first visit and again at a 3-month follow up checkup. The study report contained no detail as to how compliance with the treatment protocol in the study group was verified. The blood samples were analyzed for total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
The supplement ingredient helped the statin users reach their target blood marker levels, the researchers noted, something which they said as many as half of patients fail to do on statins alone.
“In [the] study group there was a significant reduction in mean values of cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL- cholesterol, as well as an increase in mean values of HDL-cholesterol, whereas in the control group there was a significant decrease in the mean values of all observed laboratory parameters. This indicates a significant impact ARTEROprotect in terms of sinergistic[sic] effect with a statin,” they wrote.
The researchers said more research was needed to confirm the results.
Source: International Journal of Pharmaceutical Science Invention
“Efficiency of Use of Dietary Supplement Arteroprotect In Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases”
www.ijpsi.org Volume 6 Issue 2 ‖ February 2017 ‖ PP. 17-20
Authors: Jovanovic J, Jesic A, Agic A, Djordjevic V