If you are familiar with the side effects of statin medication for reducing high cholesterol, then you know that it makes sense to find a natural method of lowering cholesterol levels. One method that can be extremely effective is using supplements for high cholesterol.
The market for cholesterol supplements is loaded with products that have amazing claims attached to them. To read some of these claims, you would think that a pill a day is all that would take to bring down your high cholesterol readings. Well, let's take a more realistic and balanced look at cholesterol lowering supplements.
Let me first state that the most effective way to bring down high cholesterol is through making certain changes in your diet. Reducing the amount of saturated fat consumption while at the same time increasing the amounts of vegetables and whole grains in your diet will in and of itself provide you with extremely good results.
However, combining those dietary changes with supplements that contain certain ingredients will greatly increase the rate of cholesterol reduction.
The most effective substance to look for in cholesterol supplements is plant sterols. Also known as phytosterols, they have been shown over and over again to effectively block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.
Another natural substance that works well in a supplement for lowering cholesterol is rice bran oil. For a long time and was believed that it was the bran itself that was the effective agent. This would make sense, given the fact that bran is high in fiber content.
However, recent studies have shown that it is the rice bran oil that provides most of the cholesterol lowering effect. This is probably due to the fact that rice bran oil contains the highest amounts of plant sterols of any of the natural plant-based oils.
You will also find gugulipid and policosanol listed as ingredients on many supplements for high cholesterol. Many studies have shown both of these to be effective cholesterol lowering agents. However, some of the more recent studies have brought their effectiveness into question.
The way I look at it is that as long as there is ongoing promising research regarding their effectiveness, it makes sense to include them as a part of an effective formula for cholesterol reduction.
Given the fact that many people experience severe side effects from statin medication, this type of natural approach to lowering high cholesterol levels is recommended, leaving medication as a last resort. I invite you to visit my website where I cover the best supplements for high cholesterol along with a thorough discussion of which foods and diets are most effective.
Van Crawford has been researching health related issues for more than eight years. He shares his research into natural ways to lower cholesterol levels on his website, http://www.Lowering-Cholesterol-Resources.com. To learn more about effective ways to lower your cholesterol and to learn how Van was able to lower his cholesterol without the use of medication, visit his website now.
