Uses and Application Rice Bran Wax,from Octacosanol to Phytosterol.

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Actions and Pharmacology: Octacosanol.

Rice bran wax Extract INCI Name Saccharum Officinarum Extract Octacosanol CAS:91722-22-4.557-61-9.999999-89-5.octacosan-1-ol.Policosanol photo picture image What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?

 Octacosanol is believed to perform a number of beneficial actions in the body.

 Chief amongst these is its ability to enhance athletic performance by increasing the body's ability to use oxygen during exercise. The hard working muscles of an athlete need oxygen to perform and recover. Octacosanol improves oxygen usage by strengthening the heart, supporting low LDL cholesterol levels and higher HDL levels, thereby maintaining healthy heart function.

 Octacosanol also acts to increase exercise endurance because of its high vitamin E content. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and free-radical scavenger. Vitamin E protects muscle tissue and DNA from damage, and immune function from oxidative stress. By preventing the buildup of lactic acid and increasing the body's ability to store glucose as muscle glycogen, octacosanol can improve muscular strength and endurance.

 Octacosanol for Sports and Fitness:

 Some athletes say that octacosanol helps increase speed and strength,helps improve reaction time.

 Animal studies suggest that octacosanol may help muscles obtain and utilize fatty acids for energy production. Other claims for increased anabolic and oxygen utilization effects have not been proven. Very little human research has investigated the effects of octacosanol on exercise performance, and results have been mixed.

 Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?

 All persons can benefit from supplementing with octacosanol. Athletes in particular can benefit from its use because of its ability to enhance endurance and improve oxygen usage.

 Octacosanol is not an essential bodily constituent and there are no symptoms of deficiency.

 Indications and Usage:

 Octacosanol, like policosanol (see Policosanol), may have cholesterol-lowering effects but research will have to be done to confirm this. Similarly, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that octacosanol may increase physical endurance and that it may benefit some with Parkinson's disease. Octacosanol is not indicated for use in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis despite some claims of efficacy in this disorder.

 Pharmacokinetics:

 The absorption of octacosanol is variable and low. Octacosanol absorption, following ingestion, ranges from about 11% in rats and humans to about 28% in rabbits. Less octacosanol is absorbed on an empty stomach and more with food. The higher the lipid content of food, the greater the absorption. Octacosanol is absorbed from the small intestine into the lymph and from there enters the bloodstream. Distribution is mainly to the liver, digestive tract, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Octacosanol may be partly oxidized to the long-chain fatty acid, octacosanoic acid, which then undergoes beta-oxidation.

 Following a single dose of octacosanol in experimental animals, peak plasma levels are observed between 30 minutes to two hours. Following a single dose of octacosanol in human volunteers, peak plasma levels are observed at one hour and four hours later. Bile is the main route of excretion. Renal excretion is negligible.

 Search summary:

 Octacosanol-containing wheat germ oil was investigated decades ago as an exercise performance-promoting (ergogenic) agent. These preliminary studies found that octacosanol had promising effects on endurance, reaction time, and other measures of exercise capacity. In another trial, 1,000 mcg per day of octacosanol for eight weeks was found to improve grip strength and visual reaction time, but it had no effect on chest strength, auditory reaction time, or endurance.

 There is limited evidence that octacosanol itself may lower cholesterol levels. This needs to be researched. (See Policosanol.) There are claims that octacosanol is useful in building strength and endurance, and these claims have made the supplement popular with some body builders and athletes. There is preliminary evidence, limited to animal experiments, that octacosanol may increase voluntary exercise in the animals.

 Evidence that octacosanol may help in the treatment of Parkinson's disease is very preliminary, and the use of this substance in a well-designed study of those suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed no benefit. Neither neurologic nor pulmonary functions were improved.

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Reference:

citations1.Uses and Application Rice Bran Wax,from Octacosanol to Phytosterol.

last edit date:1st,July.2009.