• High cholesterol is the leading cause of atherosclerosis.
• High cholesterol can cause narrowing of the arteries and a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks, having too much in your diet can lead to other problems as well.
• Supplements range from garlic to flaxseed.

By now you probably know all about the dangers of having high cholesterol. Besides being the leading cause of arthrosclerosis which can cause narrowing of the arteries and a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks, having too much in your diet can lead to other problems as well. If your numbers are too high, you might want to consider these natural cholesterol lowering supplements.

10. Garlic

While the benefits of taking garlic as a cholesterol lowering supplement are not completely consistent from study to study, taking 200 to 400 milligrams three times per day could lower your numbers. Don’t take with any medication that thins your blood.

9. Fish Oil

The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have long been known to provide a wide-range of health benefits, including lowering your total triglyceride levels. You need only 3 to 4 milligrams per day. Some people complain of side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea, so you may need to stop if these occur.

8. Artichoke Extract

Whether you’re a fan of artichokes or not, this supplement to lower cholesterol may be able to cut your numbers. You’ll want to take about 900 milligrams twice a day. Do not take this supplement if you’re known to have allergic reactions to artichoke, however.

7. Sitostanol

Today, you can easily find Sitostanol supplements as ingredients in margarine that promises to lower cholesterol. That’s an easy way to take in a supplement. You can also take the supplement alone. In the latter case, you’ll need about 800 milligrams per day to see results. If you’re taking the margarine route, use between 4 and 5 teaspoons daily.

6. Guggulipid

This unusual-sounding named supplement is a gum resin from a myrrh tree and has been promoted for a number of different health benefits. Some studies were done in India on the product which did show reduction in both LDL and TC (total cholesterol) numbers.

5. Flaxseed

If your main concern is your triglyceride number, flaxseed may be the answer. You can combine this supplement with your morning cereal or yogurt so you don’t have to taste it. Remember to consume between 40 and 50 grams daily.

4. Barley

One of the best choices for cholesterol lowering supplements is barley because it has no side effects. Plus, you can take it as either an oil extract (3 grams per day) or as barley flour (30 grams daily). The supplement should work on both LDL and TC numbers.

3. Psyllium

This type of soluble fiber has been shown to help reduce cholesterol numbers. You can find it most easily in products such as Metamucil. You’ll need to take about ten grams a day but studies have shown an LDL decrease of 6 to 20% and a TC decrease of 4 to 15%.

2. Phytosterol

This has become one of the most popular cholesterol supplements because it has been added to a wide range of consumer products, including orange juice and margarine. Reports have shown that using this supplement in any of its forms may be able to lower your LDL levels.

1. Cholestin

This supplement made from red yeast rice was shown to effectively lower cholesterol levels by up to 20% in Chinese studies. However, the supplement is not available in the United States because the FDA claims the supplements contains the same ingredient as a prescription drug that is on the market. If you can red yeast rice instead, consider giving it a try to reap some of the benefits.

1. Soluble Fiber

One of the most natural and beneficial parts of a cholesterol lowering diet is the addition of more soluble fiber. With this type of fiber, the excessive cholesterol actually becomes bound to the fiber which cannot be digested by the body. As the fiber leaves your body as a waste product so does the cholesterol.

You can choose to take soluble fiber supplements in a pill or powder form. Or you can opt for increasing your intake of high fiber foods, including barley, rye, legumes, and produce. You want to make sure that your diet includes 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber. If so, you’ll see a decrease in your LDL numbers of about 5%.

2. Red Yeast Rice

Despite a recent ban on red yeast rice by the FDA, red yeast rice continues to be one of the most effective natural cholesterol supplements. Because the supplements shared some ingredients with a cholesterol fighting prescription drug, the FDA believed it should be pulled off the market. A court changed the decision so it looks as if the supplement may be available yet again.

One of the high points of red yeast rice is that it has few side effects, has a long history of being used for its health benefits in China, and costs much less than the prescription drug which shares its active ingredients.

3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, chances are your physician has recommended eating more fish. That’s because fish are the leading source of Omega-3 fatty acids which are some of the best supplements available for overall heart health. They work by raising your levels of HDL cholesterol (the good kind). You can take fish oil supplements but most physicians recommend eating at least two servings of fatty fish (albacore tune, salmon, sardines, etc.) per week so you can get all of the important nutrients the food contains. However, if you’re a vegetarian or if you just hate eating fish, you can also get Omega-3 fatty acids from flax seed which can be blended into cereal or yogurt as part of your breakfast.

4. Artichoke Leaf Extract

Known as Cynana scolymnus, artichoke leaf extract may have some cholesterol lowering benefits, as well. The extract is thought to stop cholesterol from being synthesized by the body and by increasing bile production to expedite its evacuation from the product with other waste products. Studies have focused on doses of 1800 milligrams per day and have showed positive results across the board: total cholesterol lowered by 18%, LDL cholesterol lowered by 23%, and decreased ration between LDL and HDL cholesterol after just six weeks.

5. Plant Sterols and Stanols

These are definitely going to continue increasing in popularity among people who want natural ways to lower their cholesterol, especially those people who aren’t too keen on popping supplement pills daily. That’s because these chemicals found naturally in many plants are being added to a wide-range of consumer products, including salad dressings and orange juice, so you can easily enjoy their benefits. And those benefits are plentiful: lower LDL, lower total cholesterol, and boosts to effectiveness of cholesterol reducing medications.

Red Yeast Rice

The competition in the market for cholesterol reduction hit its peak with the battle over red yeast rice supplements and Mevacor, a prescription drug made by Merck. Red yeast rice has been a popular food and health supplement in China for centuries. When Western audiences heard about the purported benefits, they began taking it as well and seeing results. That’s because red yeast rice contains compounds thought to prevent the synthesis of cholesterol by the body. Unfortunately, the most common compound in these supplements was lovastatin which is also the primary ingredient in Mevacor. For this reason, the FDA got involved and decided to ban red yeast rice supplements from the United States because taking lovastatin in supplement form could be dangerous.

Critics of the FDA’s decision say it illustrates the bias the government organization has towards supplements, especially since all scientific studies thus far have shown red yeast rice to be a safe, effective, and more affordable alternative. The final verdict on whether these natural cholesterol lowering supplements will be readily available to consumers is still out.

Not So Effective

Although red yeast rice has been shown to be an effective way to lower cholesterol, not all supplements have been show to be as effective. Since so much money can be made in the market, however, many of these products are still available and being marketed as beneficial.

A few products on the market include chromium which is supposed to be a way to lower cholesterol naturally. Several studies have looked at the effects of chromium and chromium-containing supplements. The results have all shown no impact on overall cholesterol levels.

Another example are tocotrienols which are compounds similar to Vitamin E that were supposed to block the liver’s ability to make cholesterol so you only have to worry about what the extra cholesterol you ingest. Only one study has been published showing tocotrienols impact cholesterol levels and the doses used were four times what was recommended by the makers of the supplements containing them. Furthermore, the use of Vitamin E supplements which have been show to promote heart health can actually cause tocotrienols not to stop working.

In some ways, garlic is the same way. Although taking garlic pills has long been recommended for all types of health problems, cholesterol reduction is the hot ticket today. Unfortunately, the garlic pills that have been tested only seem to produce results at very high levels. Even then cholesterol levels only dropped by about 5 percent. As far as garlic goes, instead of using garlic pills that may not help at all and could cause negative side effects, eat a glove of garlic a day by adding the ingredient to your foods.

Still, one of the best all-natural supplements for helping promote an overall healthier cardiovascular system by blocking cholesterol absorption into the blood stream is Cholest Solve 24/7. It’s also proven to help reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by as much as 24 percent in the first 30 days.

• Cholesterol vitamins are available and can be helpful in reducing high cholesterol levels which helps prevent you from developing atherosclerosis or heart disease
• B Vitamins, such as niacin, folic acid and B12, are some of the best cholesterol supplements to take as part of your diet
• Niacin works to increase HDL cholesterol levels and regulate triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. Vitamin C can also increase your levels of HDL cholesterol
• Some other all-natural supplements for attaining cholesterol goals are Cholest Solve 24/7, Garlic and Ginger.

Fighting high cholesterol is a hot topic. If you’re numbers are high, getting them down to a normal level should be a top priority for your health. While diet and exercise are going to be two of the most important recommendations to follow, you might be wondering if there is something else you can do to help improve your numbers faster. The answer is cholesterol vitamins. Below you’ll find a list of some of the best ones you can add to your regular routine to complement your other cholesterol lowering activities.

Niacin (Vitamin B3)

One of the best cholesterol vitamins is Vitamin 3. A form of this vitamin known as nicotinic has been shown through research to have positive benefits for cholesterol numbers. If you take the compound in large enough doses, you can see a reduction in your LDL, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels. You can also increase your HDL cholesterol which is definitely a good thing, too. However, you shouldn’t begin taking niacin without first consulting your physician. Taking too much of this vitamin can have harmful effects so your doctor can help you decide how much is enough.

Vitamin B12

Some research has shown that Vitamin B12 taken daily can reduce cholesterol levels and provide some cardiovascular health benefits, including a reduction in the risk of developing atherosclerosis. This important nutrient can also help fight back against fatigue and can ensure healthy blood cells. The problem is the foods richest in this vitamin can be the highest in saturated fat which is bad for cholesterol. That means you can either choose a supplement or you can pick the leanest meats, including chicken and fish, and reduced fat dairy products to give you enough of this vitamin in your diet.

Folic Acid

Another of these important cholesterol vitamins is folic acid. You shouldn’t have too much trouble increasing your intake of folic acid. Not only can you find it in plenty of vegetables and legumes but it has also been added to any grain products made in the United States, including breads and pasta. Some research has shown that folic acid can help reduce one of the markers of potential heart disease and can have some positive heart health benefits, especially when paired with sufficient levels of Vitamin B12.

Vitamin C

While most of the vitamins listed above focus on lowering your bad cholesterol levels, some evidence suggests that Vitamin C can actually increase your HDL levels. A study at Tufts University that included more than 130 patients showed that HDL cholesterol levels increased, on average, 7% when patients were taking 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily for eight months. You don’t necessarily need to take a supplement either. You can get the Vitamin C you need just by increasing your intake of produce, such as strawberries, citrus fruits, cauliflower, and green leafy vegetables. Other studies have also confirmed a correlation between a high intake of Vitamin C and a high level of HDL cholesterol in the blood, as well as the reverse.

If you have high cholesterol, lowering those levels is important if you’re looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle and promote your health for the future. Products like Cholest Solve 24/7, Ginger and Garlic all all effective ways of helping you attain that goal, as all have been proven to help promote healthy cholesterol levels.

• Some of the most effective cholesterol lowering supplements on the market are soluble fiber and artichoke leaf extract
• The key to promoting healthy cholesterol is reducing total LDL cholesterol levels and increasing total HDL cholesterol levels
• Reducing cholesterol is important when high cholesterol is such a significant concern today and lower LDL cholesterol will help you achieve a healthier you
• Other cholesterol lowering supplements include Cholest Solve 24/7, Garlic and Ginger.

While plenty of cholesterol lowering supplements are available on the market, not all of them have delivered the results in scientific studies. Those that have demonstrate a clear method by which the supplement is able to lower cholesterol. The methods, however, vary among the supplements. Below is a discussion of how some of these available supplements work in your body.

Evacuating Cholesterol from the Body

One of the main ways that a supplement to lower cholesterol is going to work is getting it out of the body as quickly as possible. Cholesterol that is not used by the body goes back into the arteries and starts building up inside the arteries leading to plague build-up on their walls. However, if that cholesterol is excreted from the body, it doesn’t stick around in the blood nor does it build up in the body.

Soluble fiber is one of the supplements that work in this way. This type of fiber is hard for the body to digest so most of it is going to leave the body anyway. However, cholesterol binds itself to the fiber so that when the fiber is excreted so is the cholesterol. You can get this benefit from eating more soluble fiber in your diet or by taking supplements. Be aware that increasing soluble fiber levels can cause diarrhea in some people.

Another popular supplement is artichoke leaf extract. While it does not bind to the cholesterol, a chemical (known as cynarin) contained in the extract does produce greater amounts of bile. With more bile in the body, the excretion process goes faster and that means more cholesterol is going to be evacuated from the body.

Preventing Absorption

Blocking cholesterol from getting into the bloodstream in the first place is another way these supplements to lower cholesterol work. The above mentioned artichoke leaf extract is also believed to stop cholesterol from being synthesized by the body which means more is available for removal and less ends up floating around in the blood.

One of the most popular supplements today – plant stanols and stenols – also work in a similar way. These chemicals which are found naturally in a number of plants can actually stop the intestines from absorbing cholesterol as they would other nutrients. The exact mechanism isn’t clearly understood but may be related to the structural similarities between these chemicals and cholesterol. You can find these chemicals easily today by looking for products labeled as “heart healthy” in your supermarket. Look for sitostanol or beta-sitostanol on the ingredients list or on the label as a clue.

Boosting HDL

If you’re not interested in lowering your LDL numbers, consider giving your HDL (good cholesterol) numbers a boost. That’s what some of the cholesterol supplements do. For example, Omega-3 fatty acids found primarily in fish oil have been shown to provide this type of benefit. Basically, HDL levels are important because high-density lipoproteins carry cholesterol away from the body not towards it the way low-density lipoproteins do. As a result, more HDL means you’re going to have less risk of plague build-up in the arteries.

All-natural dietary supplements Cholest Solve 24/7, Garlic and Ginger can all help you lower your cholesterol levels and achieve a healthier lifestyle.

• What is policosanol?
• What is in policosanol?
• Is it effective as a cholesterol lowering supplement?
• What are the benefits of this natural cholesterol supplement?
• Cholest Solve 24/7 is another dietary supplement proven to help lower cholesterol levels.

Policosanol is a non-prescription supplement that is often used to lower cholesterol. It originally became widely used in Cuba, and is made up of a mixture of fatty alcohols. The fatty acids in policosanol are sourced from waxes found in sugar cane, beeswax and yams. The main constituent of policosanol is octanosol, which can also be bought as a separate product. Because of early interest in policosanol in South America, scientific studies were carried out, the results of which have shown that policosanol is effective.

The reason that policosanol works is that the alcohols it contains have an effect on cholesterol metabolism within the liver. The effect of policosanol takes place at a different stage of the metabolic pathway to statins (a class of prescription drug designed to lower cholesterol). Some research studies involving animals have shown that policosanol has a cholesterol lowering effect. Scientific studies on people have also shown that LDL cholesterol (or “bad cholesterol”) can decline to a comparable degree to that seen with the use of statins. In addition, with the use of policosanol, HDL cholesterol (or “good cholesterol”) can be raised by between 10% to 25%. Such a rise in HDL cholesterol would be difficult to attain with statins.

Policosanol has this balancing effect on cholesterol levels because it effects 2 key areas of the cholesterol metabolic process. Firstly, it reduces the excessive manufacture of cholesterol, and secondly it reduces any impediments to the breakdown of cholesterol.

Policosanol works by reducing platelet aggregation within the blood. Platelets are particles in the blood that promote blood clotting. Platelet aggregation, in simple terms is the “stickiness” of platelets. If you are already using blood thinners (for example, coumadin), and in particular if you are receiving a prescription, the safest course would be to talk to your doctor or health care provider before taking policosanol.

Research studies suggest that policosanol may be a very effective supplement which can be used to help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL. Scientific trial on people suggest that policosanol does not cause any major side effects although the following are possible: headache, skin rash, gastrointestinal disturbance and insomnia. However, trials have shown that generally the supplement is well tolerated, and that side effects are rare and minimal.

High cholesterol levels are very common and are a worry for many people. High cholesterol is often coupled with other vascular conditions and risk factors. Statin drugs are a common solution to cholesterol level management for patients, but there are a number of associated side effects, and they can also interfere with the body’s production of important nutrients. Policosanol can therefore be used as a natural cholesterol reducer. It is a viable alternative to cholesterol reducing drugs.

The appropriate dose of policosanol is variable and depends upon the individual. Some react well to 5 mg per day, while others might need between 10 and 20 mg per day. Regular checks on your cholesterol levels and regular visits to your doctor or health care provider are recommended.

Efficient reduction of cholesterol levels can also be achieved with Cholest Solve 24/7, an all-natural dietary supplement.