Regularly monitoring your cholesterol levels is very important, even if many people think it is something they don’t need to do. Cholesterol has a huge impact on many things, including being one of the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes. The reason why many people don’t believe these facts may be because they went to the wrong internist when they found out they had high LDL cholesterol.
Not all doctors prescribe medication straight away, and there are conscientious doctors who recommend lifestyle changes in the first instance, i.e. diet and exercise that will help normalise cholesterol levels. In addition to lifestyle changes, we can also try supplements ourselves that may be helpful in first reducing high cholesterol and then stabilising normal cholesterol. Here are some of them.
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, can also help lower cholesterol. Niacin lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and also increases the good, or HDL cholesterol levels. This means that niacin is effective in reducing the risk factors for atherosclerosis.
Soluble fibre can also reduce LDL cholesterol levels by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. The soluble fibre is bound to the cholesterol and is excreted from the body. This type of fibre can be found in many foods, such as oats, barley, plantain seed husks, apples, prunes, berries, carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli.
Research has shown that artichoke leaf extract can also help lower LDL cholesterol levels by limiting cholesterol synthesis in the body. Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin, which increases bile production in the liver, which speeds up the flow of bile and this also helps to increase cholesterol excretion.
Other supplements can also be very helpful if you have high cholesterol. Examples include red rice extract, coenzyme Q10 and green tea.
What are the causes of high cholesterol? High LDL cholesterol levels are caused by factors such as smoking, diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, and family history of cholesterol accumulation. The risk of developing high cholesterol increases after the age of 55 in women and after the age of 45 in men.