Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol

[Markl60]

It seems that time and time again we get repeated concerned posters asking about Cholesterol levels. Maybe we should have one thread ie this one where you can post natural methods that you found promoted healthy cholesterol levels (whatever they may be). I will start the ball rolling, please add with links where possible to research.

In future we can direct people to this thread

Coffee has been shown to raise LDL by 10% and Green Tea lower it by 10%. I personally found this to be true to around +- 7%

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

[timotur]

Niacin helped me lower my TC from about 240 to 184 about 10 years ago. It was low dose, about 100mg nightly. Also, ate oatmeal and flaxseed, and only drank water after dinner, as a doctor told me back then your body synthesizes most of its cholesterol at night.

[StuartD in reply to timotur]

Hi, in what form did you have the 100mg niacin and did it affect your INR if you were taking warfarin? Thanks...

[timotur in reply to StuartD]

Hi Stuart, I just use the cheap 100mg tablets from Rite-aid. In the beginning, I got a flush feeling for about 10 minutes, but after about three weeks it abated. If I were to take the 250mg tablets, I would probably use the time-release capsules. Sorry, do not know about INR as I’m not on warfarin.

[KatyB]

I have been reading up on niacin and which foods contain the highest levels.

healthline.com/nutrition/fo...

[sos007 Ambassador]

Cardiovascular research in the last decade, or so, has demonstrated that lowering LDL-P (particle number) is more important than lowering LDL-C.

The best way to achieve this objective is through 'simple carbohydrate' restriction in order to lower triglycerides, in combination with daily exercise.

There is no 'hack' or short-cut for lowering LDL-P (or LDL-C for that matter) without making significant dietary and lifestyle changes.

There are certainly benefits to niacin and high doses of vitamin C, both help to lower LDL-C but those two alone are not enough for optimal protection.

Yes, seeds, flaxseeds and oatmeal all help but that's because they provide fiber - so this is part of dietary modification - legumes, whole fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber. Therefore the whole objective is to follow the Mediterranean Diet which is a whole-foods, plant-based diet, supplemented with small portions of wild-caught fish and animal protein that have not been contaminated with hormones and antibiotics.

[KatyB in reply to sos007]

Article in Daily Mail which backs up your comments and includes Mediterranean dishes is helpful.

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti....

[sandybrown]

In the copy of The Mail on Sunday there are two articles from specialist, it is worth having a look!

[Matthew8885]

I highly recommend the generic Omega 3 prescription fish oil and it's been a miracle for TG. Before treatment, was in the thousands, but now, between 140 to 150. That's with no dietary changes at all. Lovaza is the name brand

[sandybrown in reply to Matthew8885]

How long have you been taking this fish oil? Did you doctor explain the benefit and side effect?

[Matthew8885 in reply to sandybrown]

I've had zero side effects and it took about 4 months...4 grams per day.

[sandybrown in reply to Matthew8885]

An interesting article:

Low cholesterol DOUBLES the risk of hemorrhagic strokes in women.

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[sandybrown in reply to Matthew8885]

There is a formula for TC= LDL + HDL + TC/x +VLDL.

If TC is reducing by fish oil, others may be reducing as well?

The question is do we need to reduce cholesterol and by how much depending up on age?

[Matthew8885 in reply to sandybrown]

99 percent of cholesterol is synthesized in our liver. The amount of food based cholesterol is so small that it's insignificant. Now sugar really jump starts the making of cholesterol and bad lipids but some sugar is ok.

For me, honestly, with a fairly poor diet but with daily green tea plus daytime fasting and 10mg of pravastatin, my LDL before these changes was 167 and HDL 37. Now I'm at 50 HDL and 70 LDL.