The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Using plant sterol ester capsules to treat high cholesterol

    They’re modestly effective.

    According to the FDA, “Foods supplemented with plant sterols/stanols may reduce cholesterol and are a promising addition to interventions aimed at lowering heart disease risk.”

    This study evaluated plant sterol ester (PSE) capsules 1.3 grams per day in 16 people with high cholesterol blood levels during 4 weeks of treatment.

    The results compared to placebo.

    • LDL (bad) cholesterol significantly reduced 7% at week 3, and 4% at week 4
    • HDL (good) cholesterol significantly increased 9% at week 3, but not at week 4 (4%)
    • Total cholesterol (TC) did not different from placebo at any time
    • TC:HDL and LDL:HDL ratios were significantly reduced 8 % at week 3, and 6% and 10%, respectively at week 4.
    • No effect on triglycerides

    The bottom line?
    As summarized here, you might do better practicing yoga. But if you must take a pill, the response is relatively weak compared with prescription drugs.

    No side effects were reported.

    4/30/07 22:35 JR

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