Cholesterol Lowering Drugs - Do You Really Need Them?

Do you really need cholesterol lowering drugs? Does anyone? This article looks at the controversy surrounding the subject.

To the mainstream medical community statins are a valuable tool in the prevention of heart disease and strokes. To a small, but growing number of medical professionals, statins are dangerous and unnecessary.

Since the 1950s, the popular theory has been that high intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods are the primary cause of heart disease and atherosclerosis. This theory has been disproven on several occasions, by scientists that have examined the traditional dietary habits of isolated populations.

For example, the diet of the Greenland Eskimo population was very high in fat. 50% or more of the daily caloric intake of the population was from fat. Yet, there was practically no heart disease in the population.

Another example was found in the South of France. Again, the diet was very high in saturated fat and cholesterol, but the incidence of heart disease was low.

The traditional Mediterranean diet is another example. Foods high in fat, such as olives, olive oil, fatty fish, nuts and avocados were popular. But, the incidence of heart disease and obesity was low.

Some doctors and pharmaceutical companies advocate the use of cholesterol lowering drugs, as a rule, not an exception. The typical course of action taken today is dietary counseling and encouraging physical activity in combination with prescribing statins.

The doctors don't even wait to see if diet and exercise have the desired effect, before writing a prescription. With all of the contradictions and controversy, why does this practice continue?

That's hard to say. The reason might be all of the television advertising that the pharmaceutical companies are allowed to do. Those ads make it seem like everyone should talk to their doctors about cholesterol lowering drugs.

Another reason might be the continued search for a miracle drug; some pills that will help everyone live a long and healthy life. In truth, there are no magic pills. But, there are answers.

Statins were originally found and extracted from the oyster mushroom, a Japanese delicacy. Other Japanese mushrooms, such as Shitake, have natural anti-inflammatory activity. These health benefits are not present in commercial button mushrooms or Portobello varieties.

The explanation for the contradictions seen in dietary habits of non-US populations has to do with the "type" of fats consumed, not the amount. Olives, fatty fish, nuts and avocados contain a relatively high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. The red wine consumed in the South of France might make a difference, too.

In other words, if we could teach people how to eat, they might not need cholesterol lowering drugs. Research has proven that the unnatural trans-fatty acids created when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated cause and increase in LDL (bad) particles and a decrease in HDL (good) particles.

Researchers have also found that nutrients present in raw sugar cane, black tea, green tea, rice bran, pumpkin seeds and other foods help to increase the good particles and lower the number of bad ones. Prescriptions are now written for fish oils, because they are known, without a doubt to lower triglycerides or fats in the bloodstream and raise HDL levels.

Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly is important. Taking some good dietary supplements is important, too. Very few people actually need cholesterol lowering drugs.

If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, talk with your physician before deciding to use natural cholesterol lowering supplements for reducing high cholesterol.

Want to know more? Click here for more information on lowering cholesterol naturally natural cholesterol supplements for a safe natural alternative to help you balance your blood cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol Lowering Tips

The first thing we would suggest is to eat breakfast every morning. Studies have shown that those who start off their mornings with a bellyful tend to have lower cholesterol levels rather than those who skip breakfast. One of the reasons that breakfast skippers have higher cholesterol is that they make up for the missing morning feast by eating a lot of unhealthy snacks later. Rather than those who eat morning entrees, researches have shown that those who eat those ready-to-eat cereals for breakfast have lower cholesterol levels as well.

Remember to nibble throughout the day. Simply changing how often you eat in a single day is another way to lower your cholesterol levels. Recent researches have shown that larger amounts of insulin are released into the body when a patient has large meals, instead than when he has more small ones. Insulin release in turn stimulates the production of an enzyme that increases cholesterol production by the liver. Limit the insulin release by having smaller but more frequent meals (remember not to increase the total number of calories) and this can have an important role in controlling your cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease.

Vitamin C is very important to your diet. Other vitamins and minerals have the tendency to show a benefic effect on cholesterol levels as well. Studies have shown that a higher HDL level may be achieved in people with diets high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is especially beneficial when you get it from lots of fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is a great cholesterol lowering tip since it has a cholesterol-lowering fiver called pectin. Pectin helps lower cholesterol levels in your bloodstream since it helps transport it out of your digestive system by surrounding the cholesterol and keeping it out of your blood. Some vitamin C rich foods include: strawberries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, apples and spinach.

Remember to go heavy on garlic. Garlic does not only keep away vampires. This food can significantly reduce cholesterol in large doses such as at least, seven cloves per each day. Of course, most people eat that quantity in a month, and not even that. If you are searching for a similar effect you could try odorless garlic pills. According to a research study, when people that had moderately high cholesterol took four capsules a day of an odorless liquid garlic extract - Kyolic - initially they observed a rise in their cholesterol levels, but afterwards their cholesterol levels dropped about 44 points in about six months. You can find garlic pills in almost any health food store.

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in particular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health

Sample Diet For Lowering Cholesterol

First let me make one thing clear that I am not a doctor, only a person with a great deal of experience in the field of natural health. So for serious questions, both about medications and a sample diet for lowering your cholesterol, you should consult your doctor or licensed nutritional specialist. That said, I believe that this article just might contain some valuable information that can provide an excellent starting point for both creating and implementing a sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

Before we get down to business there are a couple of factors that can, and often do, disrupt the effectiveness of even the best sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

*Diuretics or dehydration: The use of diuretics has been shown to raise total cholesterol and triglycerides. Most experts believe the increase to be inconsequential, nevertheless it is worth mentioning. Keep in mind that any drug, either over the counter or prescription, that causes water loss or dehydration can elevate your cholesterol numbers.

*Drug interactions: Your physician has run all the tests and prescribes one of the popular statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor. You take the pills as prescribed, never missing a single dose, but when your doctor runs a blood test to measure results, your cholesterol hasn't improved. Why? There could be another medication you are taking that is making your prescription cholesterol medication less effective. The moral of this story is be sure and tell your doctor about all medications you are taking to insure the best results.

So now let's move on to our sample diet for lowering cholesterol. This affordable sample diet for lowering cholesterol has worked well for me and my family and it will work for you too!

*Breakfast: Two egg whites on one slice of flax bread or toast. Fruit or juice along with skim milk can also be added but be sure and check labels for sugar content. Some store bought juices contain an astonishing 40 g of sugar.

*Lunch: Old fashioned oatmeal spiced up with either bananas, almonds, or apples. Butter containing stanols or sterols can also be added to add flavor alone with a pack of your favorite artificial sweetener.

*Dinner: Packaged 97 percent fat free turkey, chicken, or low fat beef with steamed vegetables such as broccoli or green beans (both come in easy to use steam able microwave packs). Fish should be considered once or twice a week if affordable. Kale or collard greens are also great choices as are sweet potatoes.

*Snacks: Low fat yogurt (sugar content should not exceed 10 g); almonds, walnuts, and pecans (be sure and check for nut allergies); and whole grain cereals with slim milk.

*Supplements: Fish oil or flax seed oil are excellent supplements both for cholesterol and overall health. They are reasonably priced but pricing does vary slightly. Additionally, there are a number of excellent herbal and natural cholesterol supplements worth considering, to both support and enhance results. Many naturopathic doctors believe supplementation to be an important part of any sustainable sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol levels) in a meaningful and sustainable way.