Natural Remedies for High Cholesterol

With two-thirds of the US population overweight and the numbers growing, problems that are often associated with weight issues, such as high cholesterol, are also rising. It is estimated that fifty percent of the population has an increased plasma lipid level. Because high cholesterol is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, natural remedies for high cholesterol are needed.

What is cholesterol and where is it found?

Cholesterol is a combination of fat and steroid and is a necessary building block for cell membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. It is also used to produce hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and vitamin D. The liver makes about 80% of the body's cholesterol, and the rest comes from the diet. Dietary cholesterol is found mainly in meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products, with organ meats (such as liver) being especially high in cholesterol content. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, so vegetarians generally have lower cholesterol levels than omnivores.

How does cholesterol cause cardiovascular disease?

There are different kinds of carriers for cholesterol in the bloodstream, such as LDL and HDL. If a person has too much LDL, it can be deposited in the arteries, forming a hard substance called plaque. As the plaque builds up, it causes atherosclerosis, or narrowing and stiffness of the artery walls. This can occur in the coronary arteries of the heart, causing cardiovascular disease, as well as in other areas of the body such as the carotid arteries to the brain and the arteries that supply blood to the legs. HDL helps to take cholesterol away from artery walls and transports it back to the liver for excretion or to other tissues. Thus, when looking at ratios of LDL and HDL, high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL (high LDL/HDL ratios) are risk factors for atherosclerosis and would require natural remedies for high cholesterol. On the other hand, low levels of LDL and high levels of HDL (low LDL/HDL ratios) are desirable.

Risk factors for high cholesterol:

Having a "western" lifestyle - eating high amounts of fat and animal protein; getting little exercise
Increasing age
Familial hypercholesterolemia - an inherited form of high cholesterol that may lead to early heart disease
Low socioeconomic status
For given levels of cholesterol, ethnicity affects risk for coronary heart disease
Asian-Indians have the highest risk
Europeans have an intermediate risk
Chinese have the lowest risk
Secondary causes by other illnesses - Diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, liver disease

What are the typical drugs for high cholesterol?

Statin drugs, such as Lipitor, are normally used for high cholesterol. They are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which inhibit endogenous production of cholesterol but do not help with decreasing dietary cholesterol. Thus, dietary cholesterol must still be monitored. The risks of taking statin drugs include increased liver enzymes and possible liver damage, so this needs to be watched. Statin drugs can also cause muscle pain and damage, which can be offset with CoQ10. Because dietary changes may be sufficient for most people in treating high cholesterol, drugs should be delayed for 6 months while the diet is changed to see if this alone is effective. Exceptions to this are patients with genetic lipid disorders and patients with a history of atherosclerosis. Combining dietary changes with other natural remedies for high cholesterol can be an even quicker way to lower cholesterol levels.

Natural remedies for high cholesterol

Levels of cholesterol can be modified through diet and exercise, and this should be the mainstay of treatment. Supplements can also be added on to aid in decreasing cholesterol. Below is a general treatment guideline:

Because saturated fat has been linked to increased cholesterol, this should be limited by decreasing consumption of animal products
Eat a variety of vegetables and fruit and limit refined sugars
Exercise can help increase HDL and decrease LDL
Increase soluble fiber for increased excretion of cholesterol - beans, oats, barley, fruit pectins, psyllium, and flax meal
Soy protein (>20 grams per day) to decrease synthesis of cholesterol
Red yeast rice blocks absorption of cholesterol
Niacin helps raise HDL and lower LDL
Pantethine also raises HDL and lowers LDL; also decreases total cholesterol

Dr Wang works at Hawaii Naturopathic Treatment Center/Retreat helping patients lower cholesterol levels naturally. The retreat offers individual programs to assist clients with their personal needs including natural cancer treatment, raw detoxification, fasting, and addiction. To learn more about the retreat visit rawdetox.org rawdetox.org