OUR POLICOSONOLBenefits
þ Effective cholesterol reduction þ Effective LDL reduction þ Increases HDL levels þ Added factors for enhanced effect þ Guaranteed Purity þ Research þ Clinically demonstrated effectiveness þ Pharmaceutical Manufacturing License þ GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Cholesterol has a number of functions vital to our health and is produced in the liver. Among these functions, approximately 80% of cholesterol produced is used to create bile. The rest is used to form cell membranes and act as a precursor to vitamin D. The testes and ovaries convert it to the reproductive hormones testosterone and estrogen. Cholesterol is transported through the blood and like oil and water, cholesterol and blood do not mix. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is a molecular complex of cholesterol and triglycerides that combines with proteins in such a way that the substance can dissolve in the blood. As a result, LDL can be carried to every cell in the body where each cell can obtain the cholesterol it requires. However, excess LDL accumulates on the inner walls of your arteries and results in the formation of plaque. This leads to atherosclerosis, which can eventually lead to heart attack and stroke. Hence, LDL, despite its vital role in maintaining good health, is called "bad" cholesterol, which applies when there’s too much of it and when your antioxidant defenses are inadequate to prevent its oxidation. In sharp contrast, HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol) plays a protective role in cardiovascular health. HDL is made in both the liver and the intestines. Once it reaches the bloodstream, it takes up excess cholesterol from cells and from other lipoproteins and transports it to the liver for storage or excretion in the bile. It removes cholesterol from arterial walls thereby helping to retard the development of atherosclerosis. This is why high levels of HDL are desirable. The liver makes approximately 3 times as much cholesterol (600mg/day) as you consume in your diet. Therefore, dietary reductions in cholesterol would normally have a minimal effect reducing blood cholesterol levels. An effective form of treatment must therefore target the liver and its regulation of cholesterol production. Statins are a group of compounds commonly used in prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs. They include lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin. They target an enzyme called HMG-CoA, essential for the normal production of cholesterol in the liver. Lovastatin occurs naturally in red rice yeast, a traditional food of Southeast Asia. In the form of dietary supplements, red rice yeast provides many of the benefits of the statin drugs. A number of studies have demonstrated that policosanol, a natural alternative, provides similar benefits to those of the drugs. Policosanol is a mixture of eight or nine higher aliphatic primary alcohols (long-chain alcohols) isolated from sugar cane wax. These compounds are collectively known as policosanol. The most prominent member is a molecule called octacosanol. Studies When policosanol and pravastatin were tested side-by-side in an 8-week study, 10 mg of policosanol reduced total cholesterol by 13.9% and LDL by 18.3%, while it increased HDL by 18.4%. A 10mg dose of pravastatin yielded similar results - in two out of three measures, it reduced total cholesterol by 11.8 % and LDL by 15.6%. Unlike policosanol, however, it did not increase HDL levels. Similar results were observed when policosanol was compared with simvastatin and lovastatin. In a policosanol vs. simvastatin trial, these two agents (both at a dose of 10 mg/day) reduced total cholesterol levels by 14.7% and 15.2%, respectively, while the LDL levels were reduced by 17.9% and 19.8%, respectively. In that study, 27 patients completed the policosanol treatment, while 23 completed the treatment with simvastatin. At the beginning of the trial, all 50 patients had total cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL, which is dangerously high. By the end of the trial, however, seven patients treated with policosanol (26%) and six treated with simvastatin (26%) had levels below 200 mg/dL, which is considered to be the threshold value for good (or bad) health. Eleven of the policosanol patients (41%) and eight of the simvastatin patients (35%) had levels below 160 mg/dL, which is very good. Besides its cholesterol-lowering activity, policosanol is also associated with a number of other health benefits. For example, a 6-month trial involving 62 patients demonstrated that policosanol improved the symptoms of intermittent claudication, a disease of the arteries that predominantly affects the legs and causes severe pain upon walking a short distance. Policosanol treatment increased walking distance in these patients by more than 50%. It has also been reported that policosanol inhibits platelet aggregation in the blood, thus reducing the risk of thrombosis, or blood clots. Finally, policosanol improves exercise response in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This last effect may be related to the observation that policosanol increases maximum oxygen uptake in CAD patients and thus increases aerobic functional capacity. Studies have demonstrated that not only is policosanol as effective as prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs in lowering cholesterol and LDL levels but unlike those drugs will also increase HDL levels. They have also shown that policosanol is safe and well tolerated in patients with hypercholesterolemia and concomitant coronary factors. Our Company Integra Nutrition Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Alpha Science Laboratories products and has been servicing the health care professional for five years. Our mission is to provide products of uncompromising quality with unquestionable integrity. Alpha Science Laboratories is a pharmaceutical licensed manufacturer and as such has to meet the highest standards set out by governmental health agencies. This includes meeting the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Further, Alpha Science Laboratories also meets the highest standards set out by our natural health care clientele. All our products are 100% natural and contain no additives. Our products are regularly assayed for heavy metal contamination and a complete certificate of analysis verifies the purity and content of each ingredient. Products Cholex-Fx contains policosanol blended with supporting ingredients indicated for cholesterol reduction. These ingredients include Red Rice Yeast which is an excellent source of natural lovastatin; Folic acid which reduces blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which contributes to clogging of the arteries; and Vitamin B3 or Niacin is known to reduce cholesterol.
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