How can you lower cholesterol naturally?
Did you know that eating 15 cashews a day can lower your high bad ldl cholestrol by 10%?
What are the herbs, vitamins, other supplements and foods that can lower cholesterol naturally? How much of them to eat or take?
As perplexing as it is, we have many of the answers to these questions on lowering cholesterol naturally, plus much more. This page has been updated significantly to take into account newer research into using food, herbs, vitamins and supplements to lower cholesterol naturally - making this page one of the best I believe. Please note that the really important foods, supplements, vitamins and herbs for lowering cholesterol, or protecting against high cholesterol, are marked with " ###". |
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Some of the best cholesterol treatments grow on trees, in the garden ... pretty much every where. The foods, herbs and vitamins that can lower cholesterol naturally may be of some considerable and enormous value in your effort to lower cholesterol; perhaps all you need.
Just add them to your low cholesterol, low saturated fat diet, to hopefully make your low cholesterol diet work even better.
We discuss the use of exercise on several of our cholestrol lowering pages:
For more on exercise, try our Cholesterol Myth page, Reduce Cholesterol page, our Weight Loss Tips, Weight Loss Plan page and our Weight Loss Exercise page. Each offers a different type of exercise plan for you to consider.
SOMETIMES you just have to treat the underlying cause of the high cholesterol. Failure to do so may negate any attempt you make to lower cholesterol naturally.
Essentially bad diet, lack of exercise and sometimes genetics, are the main underlying causes of high cholesterol.
You can lower cholesterol naturally if it's diet or lack of exercise, but if it's genetic you must not only do what you can to lower cholesterol naturally, but also use unnatural means if you have to, such as the powerful cholesterol statins.
Although some may argue that statin drugs lower cholesterol naturally, because they are herb based, this is not quite right. Statin cholesterol drugs were based on ingredients found in red yeast rice, but they are so refined and the active ingredient so concentrated, that it is anything but natural.
Also, when taking these powerful drugs, remember that they don't stop dietary cholesterol from being absorbed for the most part, they work by stopping the body from producing it. So even on statin cholesterol drugs you must still watch your diet.
So it is very worthwhile to try and lower cholesterol naturally, as if you succeed, you can avoid the statin drugs and some rather nasty potential side effects of them.
On a very good note: For every 1% you reduce ldl cholestrol (considered to be the bad cholesterol), you reduce the risk of heart attack by 2% - according to medical specialists.
So lowering that bad cholesterol gives you the mind set you're getting twice the advantage for the same effort! You are lowering your risk of heart attack twice as fast as you are lowering your bad cholesterol. A very good incentive to lower cholesterol naturally.
Also, according to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, raising the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) level by 1 mg/dL can lower the chance of heart attack risk by up to 3%, depending on age, sex etc.
So little improvement needed in the good cholestrol, to give such a good risk reduction.
The cholesterol information on our cholesterol pages are updated reasonably often. You may like to check out our other pages on high cholesterol treatment via the side bar on the left.
Obviously if it's just the normal stuff of food we buy and throw together, then it's a natural for lowering cholesterol, but, the more refined a food or natural substance becomes, the less natural it becomes as well. Also, consuming much more of a herb or food to gain a medicinal advantage, means we are also making the process a little less natural, by deliberately increasing the active ingredients of these things in our blood and body.
So for these lists of herbs and spices and supplements and foods for lowering cholesterol, the guide line I have used for "lowering cholesterol naturally" is that they are obtainable without a prescription. This mainly means they have not been refined to the point where the active ingredients have become so concentrated that a doctors prescription becomes necessary.
So, this appears to be the good stuff on how to lower cholesterol naturally that you may be after:
Early research suggests that alfalfa seeds can lower cholesterol through the saponins they contain - help lower cholesterol absorbtion from food and help lower the cholesterol produced by the liver.
The dosage is about 100 grams per day, but at this high dose the other ingredients found in alfalfa seeds may cause serious side effects. A few grams a day is likely to be safe though.
If the cholesterol lowering effects and or triglycerides lowering effects of artichoke supplements are going to happen, it will be more than likely be in the first 6 to 8 weeks. Dose: 320mg standardised artichoke leaf extract, 2 to 3 times daily.
The active ingredient is berberine. 500mg berberine, 2 times daily, was found to lower cholesterol by 29% on average, after three months. Try and avoid if you suffer from constipation.
- A study of 60 people with Type 2 diabetes in Pakistan, found that a gram of cinnamon daily - one quarter of a teaspoon twice a day - reduced patients' blood sugar, triglycerides (fatty acids in the blood), bad cholesterol ldl level as well as total cholesterol. However, cinnamon is also believed to be toxic at some point, but the toxicity amount is not yet determined. Also, cinnamon is not very good at lowering cholesterol levels by very much, but the beneficial effects can last for over 20 days past the last dose of it, which is very uncommon for a substance or drug to do. Also, we cannot be sure how cinnamon may affect a non-diabetic person with high cholesterol.
- This is a very good one to lower cholesterol naturally. The gammalinolenic acid ( gla ) in evening primrose seed, which we take in the form evening primrose oil, has been successfully shown to lower cholesterol by as much as some expensive cholesterol lowering drugs. On a daily dosage of 4000 milligrams of evening primrose oil, after three months, on average you can expect to lower cholesterol by a whopping 31.5% - reduce the risk of heart atack by about 63%. Evening primrose oil has also been found to reduce blood pressure and reduce the probability of the blood clots that cause most strokes.
- Normally the fenugreek seed is consumed in powder form. If you were to take 2 ounces a day for about six months, you would likely lower cholesterol by 14%. The powder can be mixed with soup.
The Fenugreek works to lower cholesterol naturally, as it contains both saponins and fiber. Saponins work by lowering the cholesterol absorbtion from food and by reducing the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver.
If the defatted Fenugreek seed powder is used, 25 to 50 grams daily will significantly lower cholesterol naturally in about 20 days and it can increase hdl cholesterol, the good cholesterol, in some people as well.
Fo-ti is a chinese herb that may be able to lower cholesterol, but their is insufficent research to recommend this herb as a cholesterol lowerer at this time.
- Another good herb / food to lower cholesterol naturally is the time proven garlic. Garlic naturally contains allicin and ajoene. Two very powerful therapeutic substances for the cardiovascular system. One fresh clove (section) of garlic daily or 1000 milligrams of the high allicin tablets, has been found to lower cholesterol by about 9 to 12 percent on average. Some doctors believe the active ingredient, allicin, needs 2000 mg consumed thrice daily, to achive optimum results.
There are two important findings with garlic: 1.. Garlic also helps the arteries ... to heal - over a four year period, patients arteries had a 3% reduction in the narrowing of the arteries at blockage points, whereas those not on garlic had a 16% increase in the narrowing of their arteries at blockage points. So garlic really helped above that of lowering cholesterol, it was reversing the damage :) 2.. Consuming garlic with your meal stops even pure butter from increasing cholesterol. It appears garlic can lower cholesterol even when you are eating a high cholesterol meal: Those consuming about 9 cloves of garlic with their high cholesterol meal were able to lower cholesterol by 7%, while those who didn't consume garlic with their high cholesterol meal got even higher cholesterol - with an average increase in cholesterol of 7%. The garlic ordour can apparently be significantly reduced by placing two drops of aniseed oil on the back of the tongue.
Garlic tablets that do NOT contain allicin, e.g. some forms of steam distilled ones, are not expected to help with your cholesterol levels. So make sure you get the right garlic ones that are suitable for lowering cholesterol.
- Ginseng has been little researched for it's ability to lower cholesterol, but there is a little evidence to suggest that it can reduce cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by lowering or eliminating the dangerous blood clots.
The active ingredient is berberine. 500mg berberine, 2 times daily, was found to lower cholesterol by 29% on average, after three months. Try and avoid if you suffer from constipation.
This herb has been found to lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol, but some people benefit from it, while others don't. The active ingredient is polyphenols and, as a rough guide, you need to drink 3 cups a day - the equivalent of about 240 mg of the polyphenols daily.
Extracts of green tea to lower cholesterol are also becoming more widely available, some being fortified with theaflavins and catechins. The more fortified ones can lower the bad cholesterol by about 16% over 12 weeks.
Guggul is one of those herbs that has a mix of research results about it - some find the guggul lowers their bad cholesterol by around 17%, others find that guggul increases the bad cholesterol, others find that guggul increases the good cholesterol by around a massive 60%, while others find guggul does not increase the good hdl cholesterol at all.
Guggul is one of those cholesterol lowering herbs that may or may not work for you - Guggul appears to work on each individual in it's own unique way. The dosage is typically 25mg, 3 times daily. A cholesterol test should then be used at the 12 week mark to check how it is affecting you.
- Milk thistle contains three known therapeutic compounds ( silymarin is the name used to refer to all three ). Silymarin has not been properly researched to see if they can lower cholesterol, but some people believe it can.
The active ingredient is berberine. 500mg berberine, 2 times daily, was found to lower cholesterol by 29% on average, after three months. Try and avoid if you suffer from constipation.
- Psyllium is a rich source of fibre and can lower cholesterol via it's high fibre content. To lower cholesterol, the therapeutic dosage is one to two teaspoons, three times per day. Blood tests should show a ldl / bad cholesterol reduction in about eight weeks, of about 9%, with perhaps a better reduction at the 12 week mark.
- Red pepper may help to lower cholesterol. More research is required.
Red Yeast Rice can lower cholesterol naturally by it's effect on preventing the HMG-CoA enzyme from working in the liver, which then lowers or stops the livers production of cholesterol. To help the body adjust, you may also need to supplement with 30-60mg coenzyme Q10 daily.
A few of you may have heard that some prescription drugs that are used to lower cholesterol, also rely on the active ingredients found in red yeast rice. Your question then becomes why is red yeast rice supplements any safer than those prescription ones in lowering cholesterol? This is a question that has troubled me as well, but the the big difference is the concentration of the active ingredients - monacolins.
In the cholesterol lowering prescription drugs, such as lovastatin, or any of the statin drugs, the concentration of the monacolins is typically 20 to 40 mg, but in the red yeast rice supplements, the concentration is a small fraction of 1mg. The extremely high unnatural levels of the monacolins in the presrciption cholesterol drugs are what can cause the undesirable side effects for the most part I think.
- value to high cholesterol treatment unclear.
Scullcap is mentioned here, as some research has suggested that it can increase the good cholesterol level aka hdl cholesterol level. This in turn has the benefit of offsetting some of that bad cholesterol - reduce heart attack and stroke. Scullcap needs more research for the improved good cholesterol level to be confirmed.
- aka several milk thistle compounds. See above.
- value to high cholesterol treatment unclear.
- Tumeric has had little research for it's ability to lower cholesterol. It's therapeutic ingredient is curcumin. A dosage of 500 milligrams of curcumin daily for ten days has been shown to lower cholesterol.
1 or 2 capsules of dried wild yam root is taken 3 times a day - research suggests it will increase hdl cholesterol.
- Vitamin C may have little effect on hdl and ldl cholesterol for many, but it does lower another, little talked about form of cholesterol, called Lp(a). This is a very dangerous cholesterol. For some people, vitamin C has been found to lower the bad ldl cholesterol.
Vitamin C also helps to produce strong, thin artery walls and may be a cure for cardiovascular disease - reverse the damage.
Vitamin C has another positive effect on the ldl bad cholesterol, it helps prevent the ldl cholesterol from oxidising into more dangerous byproducts.
High cholesterol treatment dosage is several 1000 milligrams per day, but as little as 100mg per day has been found to be almost the same, or have the same effect on protecting against cardiovascular disease ( includes heart disease ), as the megadosing does.
- Vitamin E dilates the blood vessels ( opens them up more - the ldl bad cholesterol builds up on the blood vessel walls, narrowing the opening for blood to pass through ) and contains anti-thrombin, a blood clot preventative. It may not reduce your cholesterol, but it helps counteract some of the bad cholesterol effects. Not a high cholesterol treatment, but certainly an adjunct to it. It is suggested to start with 100 milligrams a day for two weeks, before upping to higher doses. Therapeutic dose is around 400 to 1,200 international units per day; at this level the hdl good cholesterol level is also significantly increased.
- Niacin is a good for raising the good cholesterol hdl level, as well as for lowering the ldl bad cholesterol level. One gram of niacin taken three times a day resulted in 27% fewer nonfatal heart attacks, 9 to 13% fewer deaths from all causes. After one month of this daily intake of niacin, the bad cholesterol was lowered by about 22% and triglycerides by about 52%.
However, this level of niacin intake may lower your cholesterol, but it can do horrendous things to your body, including giving you diabetes or make you blind or destroy your liver. If you want to include niacin at a high level to have a dramatic effect on lowering your cholesterol, you should do so under strict medical supervision.
Strict medical supervision meaning measurement of liver enzymes, glucose levels and uric acid.
See also Inositol Hexaaniacinate below, which appears to be a safe form of niacin supplementation, but does not lower cholesterol.
This vitamin is a special form of niacin, which appears to be quite safe to take. Dosage is around 500 to 1,000 mg, daily. Due to the newness of this niacin supplement, it is still suggested that you use it under the strict medical guidelines as recommended for Niacin, but regrettably, when it comes to lowering, reducing your cholesterol, this form of niacin is a dud.
One man has approached me telling me it has worked outstandingly for him, but the trick for it to work is to use very high amounts each day. When he told me the amount, 4,000 mg, and his current cholesterol levels, it appears that it did lower his bad cholesterol substantially, but, it raised his good cholesterol to dangerously high levels for the average person. As a side note, he was under a cardiologist, so was being treated professionally, and obviously the cardiologist new precisely what he was doing with this particular man - it is not something you should try to do on your own.
In people who are able to lower cholesterol through diet and drugs, Pantethine - a product that is made out of Vitamin B5 - also appears able to reduce cholesterol in such people. Taken 2 to 4 times a day, dosage 300mg each time.
Pantethine has also been found to increase hdl cholesterol, the good cholesterol, in some people as well.
The beta-glucan supplement can be made from a variety of sources, such as oats and barley. It is a water soluble fiber. 3,000 to 15,000 mg daily. After 8 weeks, the ldl bad cholesterol reduces by about 8%, while the good hdl cholesterol, that we want more of, increases by about 0% to 16%.
3000 mgs daily should show a reduction in the bad cholesterol after 3-8 weeks.
Beta-sitosterol is a plant sterol - about 1 gram or more per day - blocks the absorbtion of cholesterol from food. See Margarine under "Foods that lower cholesterol" below. This cholesterol supplement can be used without the high calorie margarine component to achieve cholesterol lowering results.
Contains Chromium - remember it has to be Brewer's yeast, not just any yeast. See Chromium below.
About 1 gram a day of Calcium supplement has been found to be helpful to some people in lowering their bad cholesterol. Calcium enriched skim milk would be even better I think - see skim milk under the "Foods that lower cholesterol" section below.
The chitosan supplement is similiar to fiber and works in a similar way. 3 to 6 gms daily results in about a 5% lowering of the bad ldl cholesterol and an increase in the good cholesterol hdl of about 10%. Results can vary greatly from person to person.
... but whether it will or not for you is uncertain. Some research has found that chromium supplementation in combination with exercise can lower the bad cholesterol by about 20% in 3 months. Other research suggests chromium supplementation to combat high cholesterol, may be beneficial in raising the good cholesterol. 500 mcg daily max. Safe dose 200mcg.
Needs lots more research, but appears almost a wonder drug for lowering the risk of cardiovascular accidents, i.e. heart attack. Strong suggestion it may be suitable for lowering cholesterol as well. 500mg 3 times daily.
Modified Citrus Pectin is pectin that has been modified to be more easily absorbed by body. It helps prevent cholesterol plaque from sticking to the blood vessel walls. Citrus pectin, when taken as a supplement, lowers cholesterol significantly. Modified Citrus Pectin ( MCP ) also helps to slow down cancer cell metastasis and eliminate toxic metals out of the body.
If you have a copper deficiency, this may be the cause of your high cholesterol. Supplementing with 3 to 4 mg of copper daily, in correcting the copper deficiency, may also fix your high, ldl, bad cholesterol problem.
Highly questionable.
Such supplements are products like Metamucil, Fibergel and many others. Can be readily purchased in supermarkets for the most part. Normally used to relieve constipation and hemorrhoid symptoms, fiber has been found to be lower cholesterol. Fiber lowers the absorbtion of cholesterol from food and may also reduce the bile acids that become absorbed, both of which apparently reduce cholesterol in you. Results are generally showing small improvements when these types of supplements are used.
What doesn't flaxseed do? Anyhow, you are looking at a typical dose of between 30 and 50 grams a day. It is believed to be the fibre in flaxseed that lowers the cholesterol, so flaxseed oil is NOT expected to help.
Glucomannan si a water soluble fiber found in the konjac root. 4,000 to 13,000 mgs daily has been found to reduce ldl cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, lower triglycerides and in some cases increase hdl, the good cholesterol.
Another supplement that appears to help some but not others. 1,000 to 4,000 mgs daily. May increase the good cholesterol, hdl.
- Lecithin is a compound that helps with cholesterol processing. In a way it helps counteract cholesterol intake. An example of a food with cholesterol and lecithin is an egg. Lecithin also can break up and remove, reduce cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels and so on. Taken daily, lecithin can apparently be used as a preventative to high cholesterol build up. The effect may vary widely from one person to another. Dose, in the vicinity of 20 gms per day.
Rule of thumb, don't take unless you are deficient in this mineral, as it may increase your liklihood of death otherwise. Around 400mg daily. If you are deficient in this mineral, then you can also expect your good hdl cholesterol to increase, while the ldl cholesterol to decrease, when you are supplemented.
10 to 20mg of policosanol daily lowers the production of cholesterol by the liver. Ldl cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, is reduced by 21% to 29%, while the hdl cholesterol, the good cholesterol, is increased by 7% to 29%. Policosanol is made from the common sugar cane.
50 to 100 mg daily Royal Jelly has been found to help some people lower their cholesterol naturally.
Soy supplements contain isoflavones, phospholipids, phytosterols, fiber and protein, which are believed to be the active cholesterol lowering ingredients. The amount consumed should include more than about 30 mgs isoflavones per day, preferably about 100 mgs.
Tocotrienols Supplements may lower cholesterol in some people, by about 15%, but not in others. Around 200 mg per day.
- Celery provides high fibre which is known to lower cholesterol. Celery also naturally contains 3-n-butyl phthalide which has been shown to reduce cholesterol in animals. So, obviously, celery appears to be a good food to reduce cholesterol with.
- tuna, mackerel and salmon for example - are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Consuming such fish once or twice a week, or omega 3 fish oil daily, can help reduce triglycerides, reduce dangerous blood clotting and may reduce any further build up of cholesterol on the artery walls ....
- Whole grain foods, like multi grain bread, and ground up whole grain foods, like wholemeal bread, can be just as effective at lowering cholesterol as the best statin drugs on the market. A reduction of 20 to 40% in cardiovascular risk can be achieved by consuming 2 or 3 servings of wholegrains in the daily diet.
Barley has been found to be a super food when it comes to lowering the ldl cholesterol. People consuming Barley can expect a reduction of around 17.4% in ldl.
Yes, the claims are true. Replacing normal margarine or butter with the margarines enriched with plant sterols will likely reduce your ldl bad cholesterol by about 15%.
Also, switching to the 60% and 70% low fat, low calorie margarines will help you lose weight and indirectly help cholesterol levels to come down if they were up due to obesity.
Also, avoid the ones with trans fats or saturated fats, as they may increase cholesterol.
- 30 grams, 1 ounce, a day for five out of every seven days will significantly help lower cholesterol naturally as well as help you lose weight ( the weight loss is courtesy of the protein content that helps decrease appetite ). The cholesterol reduction can be expected to be a lowering of the bad cholesterol levels by 10% and a lowering of heart disease by 30 to 50%.
To obtain the lower cholesterol result, that 30 grams of nuts equates out to be 20 Almonds, 10 Brazil Nuts, 15 Cashews, 4 Chestnuts, 20 Hazelnuts, 15 Macadamia Nuts, 15 Pecan Nuts, 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts, 40 Pistachio Nuts, 35 Peanuts, or 10 whole walnuts. Alternatively, you could lower cholesterol by consuming your nuts by way of a nut spread, such as peanut butter - but be wary of added ingredients that may increase the calories or saturated fat content.
Olive oil is one of the good oils for lowering cholesterol. You don't add it to your diet, but you replace any saturated fats you can with it - as in cooking. Those who use olive oil this way experience a 25% decrease in life threatening cardiovascular disease. Unlike some cooking oils and fats, Olive oil does not reduce the good cholesterol (hdl).
However, like any oil, it is high in calories and needs to be monitored closely like any other oil if overweight.
Also, Olive oil, when added to a low cholesterol diet, increases the good cholesterol hdl. This finding is important, as some low cholesterol diets lower both the good and bad cholesterol. The aim is to reduce the bad cholesterol and maintain or increase the good hdl cholesterol.
- The onion family includes leeks, garlic, chives, shallots, brown and white onions. They may be able to lower cholesterol if eaten every couple of days. They contain substance that can apparently loosen, change and remove cholesterol from the walls of the heart, arteries and veins.
- Skim milk improves the amount of good hdl cholesterol, though it may not lower cholesterol ldl. This improvement of good versus bad, is about 19% after three months and 31% after six months. The amount consumed is 1 quart skim milk.
- Soybean is one of the most researched foods I know of. Soybean is obviously a food which can lower cholesterol naturally, while having many options for it's preparation as a food. Soybean appears to contain several therapeutic compounds for high cholesterol treatment, isoflavones is one of those high cholesterol treatment compounds. Essentially you either eat it or drink it - more a food substitute for milk or meat sometimes. One hundred milligrams of isoflavones a day is considered a high cholesterol treatment. One hundred milligrams of isoflavones can be obtained by consuming about two ounces of soy protein; about one third a cup of raw soybeans or roasted soybeans; 40 ounces soy milk; 7 ounces tempeh; three quarter cup soy flour; one cup textured soy protein; 12 ounces tofu. Soybean and it's products are normally consumed as part of a high cholesterol treatment diet. The result of adding the soybean is normally impressive with results being seen in about nine weeks.
It appears that to lower cholesterol naturally, or to gain therapeutic protection from fibre, that one needs to consume 16 grams or more of water soluble fibre per day.
As you can see, there appear to be many ways to lower cholesterol naturally, but always CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AND DIETICIAN first to reduce cholesterol. See what they say about the ideas you find on this website and others.