Proven Ways to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

It is believed that atherosclerosis is partly caused by high cholesterol. Atherosclerosis is commonly known as hardening of the arteries, which a danger sign for increasing risk of catastrophic diseases like stroke or heart attack. So, keeping your cholesterol levels under control is of paramount importance. There are several effective ways to lower cholesterol naturally including easy diet changes, stress reduction and natural cholesterol lowering supplements.

As far as diet adjustments go, there are several different approaches that have proven to be effective. A low fat diet is often recommended to lower cholesterol although research does not necessarily support this method.

For some examples of different dietary approaches that are being used successfully, Dr. Dean Ornish has assisted many people with heart disease by combining a vegetarian diet with exercise and stress reduction. Dr. Barry Sears has success using a much different approach to diet. Dr. Sears is the creator of the Zone Diet which is usually considered to be one of many different variations of the so called "low carb diet."

A balanced ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein is emphasized by Dr. Sears in the Zone Diet. Sr. Sears' diet has been described as "eating the way our grandparents ate." Many people report success in losing weight with a low carb approach, without having to count calories or going hungry. Along with healthy weight loss, many different health conditions have seen improvement, including reducing high cholesterol.

Cholesterol lowering vitamins are another tactic that works well with diet changes. Concerning dietary supplements, it pays to go with quality rather than basing your decision on cost alone. There's a lot of variation in the quality of supplements on the market, and it's common to see exaggerated claims without providing research to back them up.

Some of the most effective cholesterol reducing nutrients include;

policosanol
guggulipid
beta sitosterol
theaflavins
green tea extract
tumeric extract
These natural substances are very effective at helping to balance cholesterol levels and have been validated in many clinical research studies. Of the nutrients listed, policosanol and guggulipid can be considered the most important.

Many products on the market are claiming to contain policosanol, while sometimes they in fact are using a nutrient called octacosanol. This is an issue to pay attention to because octacosanol does not provide the same benefits as policosanol. Only genuine policosanol which is made from sugar cane wax produced in Cuba has shown significant cholesterol lowering abilities in clinical research trials.

So do your "due diligence" before choosing a nutritional supplement to help lower cholesterol. Make sure it contains genuine policosanol and that it has been tested for micro biological contamination in a GMP approved laboratory. Also try to verify that it meets the standards set by the U.S. and/or the British Pharmacopoeia. This way, you can be sure of the purity and the effectiveness of the supplements you buy.

These proven ways to lower cholesterol naturally can help you avoid the side effects and possible dangers of prescription medications. Of course, you may want to consult your health care provider before changing any medications you may be taking and before beginning any new supplementation program.

About the author: Max Wardlow has a website about i-health-info.net natural health supplements. Stop by today for more info about how to i-health-info.net/ps/lower-cholesterol-naturally.html lower cholesterol naturally.