Lower your Cholesterol Naturally …

Whether you are one of those lucky people who do not have cholesterol concerns, or have been advised to take action, what can you do to improve your cholesterol levels?

In this series of articles we’ll have a look at some of the generally recommended courses of action ...

Part 1 - Part 2

Take vitamin E

Studies indicate that vitamin E may have a positive impact on lowering cholesterol when taken in fairly large quantities – up to 800 IU per day. This is more than you can get from your diet alone. Larger amounts do not seem to cause any harm. Further studies showed that even amounts of just 25 IU per day helps in preventing LDL from sticking to blood vessel walls. That amount is only slightly higher than the recommended daily amount (RDA) of 12 to 15 IU. It’s interesting to note that even that small amount has an impact on preventing that hardening of the arteries.

Take Calcium

One study indicates that when 56 people took a calcium carbonate supplement, their total cholesterol went down 4 percent and their HDL increased 4 percent. That was taking a dosage of 400 milligrams of calcium three times a day with no harmful effects reported. That does refer to calcium carbonate.

Take a multivitamin – it can’t hurt

While you are building your calcium and vitamin E intake, remember the old standby, vitamin C. It is the number one immune system booster and also drives up HDL. A study of people who took more than 60 milligrams of vitamin C per day (60 milligrams is the RDA) had highest LDL levels.

Fill up on fibre

Remember several years back when oat bran was the latest craze for lowering cholesterol? Later studies arrived at inconsistent results, but the medical community do agree that soluble fibre, the kind found in oat bran, does help lower LDL and raise HDL. As little as three grams per day of fibre from oat bran or oatmeal can be effective. There are 7.2 grams of soluble fibre per 100 grams of dry oat bran and five grams of soluble fibre per 100 grams of dry oatmeal. There are other sources of fibre as well such as barley, beans, peas and many other vegetables. Corn fibre is also good for reducing LDL, lowering it by as much as 5 percent in a recent study. Researchers used 20 grams of corn fibre a day. That would be a bit difficult for the average user when you take into account that one serving of corn has three grams of corn fibre. But, every little bit does make a difference. Pectin, which is found in fruits like apples and prunes, reduces cholesterol even better than oat bran, as does psyllium which is the fibre you find in many breakfast cereals and bulk laxatives.

Reduce sugar intake

Many people don’t realize that sugar affects cholesterol and definitely affects triglycerides. Sugar stimulates insulin production, which in turn increases triglycerides. Men in particular, seem to be sensitive to this effect from sugar. The mineral chromium which helps to stabilize blood sugar can also raise the level of HDL. 100 mcg of chromium three times daily can help to improve your cholesterol levels.

Eliminate alcohol

The jury is still out and the different schools of thought are still at odds regarding the benefit or lack of benefit to consuming alcohol. This suggestion has nothing to do with our previous discuss on red wine. A moderate amount may be helpful. The problem is that to one person a moderate amount might be a glass of wine with their meal, while to another it might be a half bottle of Scotch! Anything above the arbitrary “moderate” amount elevates serum cholesterol triglycerides and your uric acid levels as well as potentially increasing blood pressure all of which promote heart disease. So, the best bet would be to eliminate it totally.

Exercise regularly

There is positive evidence that exercise can lower LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. Both aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling and cross country skiing and strength training like lifting weights or using weight machines all promote the improvement of cholesterol levels. An analysis of 11 studies on weight training showed that this exercise lowered LDL by 13 percent and raised HDL by 5 percent. If you lift weights, use light to moderate weights and do many repetitions.

Eliminate caffeine

People who drink large amounts of caffeine (more than 6 cups a day) are far more prone to elevated cholesterol. That connection does not hold for tea drinkers. Limit your coffee intake to no more than one cup a day and eliminate caffeinated sodas entirely.

Missed the first part of this article, click here to discover why chocolate can be good for you!

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substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek
the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions
you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical
advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.