Policosanol showed no clear cognitive benefit over placebo
An exploratory analysis of 56 adults aged 55–85 found no significant differences from placebo in selected cognitive outcomes after 12 weeks.
Limit: Cognitive analysis used a post hoc subgroup excluding statin users and extreme cognitive scores
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Adults aged 55–85 with subjective memory complaints took part in a 12-week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial at two hospitals. Researchers assigned them to placebo or 20 or 40 milligrams of sugarcane-derived Cuban policosanol. An exploratory analysis included 56 participants after excluding people taking statins and those outside a selected range on a cognitive screening test.
Scores for language and knowing where they were improved from baseline in both policosanol groups. But selected cognitive outcomes did not differ significantly from placebo, including after adjustment for starting scores. At 40 milligrams, blood activity of an antioxidant enzyme increased from baseline.
Why it matters
Subjective memory decline is a target for early efforts to address age-related cognitive decline. The authors called for further trials to clarify policosanol’s potential effects on cognition.
Caveats
These exploratory results came from a selected subgroup, not the full randomized population. The abstract described policosanol as well tolerated but did not report adverse-event counts.
From the paper
- Participants
One participant in the placebo group was excluded from further analysis due to an extremely elevated bilirubin value, resulting in a total of 101 participants, as shown in Figure 1.
Methods, 2.3. Participant Disposition and Analysis Populations
- Limitation
First, the refined cognitive analysis included a relatively small sample of 56 participants and was based on post hoc selection criteria, including the exclusion of statin users and restriction to a K-MMSE score range of 18–26.
Quoted word for word from the full text on mdpi.com.
