Lowering Cholesterol Count - Proven Treatments For High Cholesterol

If you are among the thousands of Americans each day who learn that they have high cholesterol, then undoubtedly your doctor has made you aware of the importance of lowering cholesterol count and supporting healthy cholesterol levels.

Most likely he has recommended statin medication to make this happen. I am always amazed by how little doctors tell their patients about the best natural ways to lower high cholesterol. Yes, it is true that it is not as easy as just taking a pill, but natural cholesterol reduction is much healthier, safer and just as effective.

Does it surprise you when you hear that taking a natural approach to reducing high cholesterol levels is just as effective as medication? It surprised me too when I first learned that a diet to lower cholesterol has been shown to bring down cholesterol levels effectively.

But when it comes right down to it, this should not be surprising. The foods that lower cholesterol are the same foods that have been a part of healthy diets for centuries. You see, the most effective foods to lower cholesterol count include vegetables, whole grains and nuts.

All of these foods contain high amounts of fiber and plant sterols. The combination of fiber and sterols actually attacks cholesterol in two ways.

Sterols are very similar in molecular composition to cholesterol and are thus able to block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Fiber on the other hand, actually eliminates cholesterol from the body before it has a chance to be absorbed.

I encourage you to fight the urge to treat your high cholesterol by taking a pill. Instead, the natural approach discussed here has side effects that include increased energy levels, and improved immune system and better overall health.

On my website I discuss effective natural ways to lower cholesterol. By visiting it, you will learn about foods and diets that have been proven effective to support healthy cholesterol readings.

Van Crawford has been studying health and nutrition for over 10 years as he has researched ways to lower his own cholesterol levels. Visit his website now for more information on powerful ways to improve your health and lower your cholesterol: Lowering Cholesterol Resources.com

Diet to Lower Cholesterol Level - Proven Cholesterol Lowering Techniques For You to Use

Most people don't realize that a diet to lower cholesterol level has been shown to be more effective than cholesterol medication for most individuals. The problem is that our doctors are the primary source of information regarding our health.

If you have high cholesterol, most likely you first heard about it from your doctor's office and there's a good chance that he suggested statin drugs as your best option. I am shocked by how little specific dietary guidance medical professionals provide their patients for reducing high cholesterol.

It has been proven in clinical studies and through the experience of thousands of individuals that a cholesterol lowering diet can provide just as good and sometimes better results than what most individuals obtained through the use of medication. And when you consider the fact that lowering high cholesterol through diet increases your health and longevity, while statin medication can severely damage your health, it makes most sense to leave these medications as a last resort.

If you're really serious about lowering high cholesterol then you will need to cut back on the amounts of saturated fat in your diet. It is best to completely eliminate high-fat foods such as beef and pork. Saturated fat actually increases LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides much quicker than foods that are high in cholesterol.

However, your diet to lower cholesterol level will not be effective unless it contains many cholesterol lowering foods which include most vegetables, fruit and nuts. All these foods (yes, nuts included) are cholesterol fighting foods that also provided additional energy and improve your overall health immensely.

Unfortunately, taking a pill to lower your cholesterol is easier, but this type of cholesterol lowering diet will provide benefits for you for the years to come. I invite you to visit my website where I discuss your many different options for reducing high cholesterol levels without resorting to medication.

Proven Ways to Lower Cholesterol

High cholesterol has long been known to be a major factor in heart disease and premature death as a consequence, so lowering it is clearly a smart idea. There are 2 mains ways to lower cholesterol that have been established to work: 1) adopt a healthier lifestyle and 2) take cholesterol lowering drugs.

Hyper-cholesterolemia (as high cholesterol is termed medically) is becoming widespread particularly in the Western world and is almost certainly due to features of the modern lifestyle. For most people whose cholesterol is too high, relatively minor modifications to their diet and exercise regime will restore normal cholesterol levels.

Some people however are either already beyond what can be usefully achieved with lifestyle modifications or carry an inherited genetic disorder (familial hyper-cholesterolemia) that limits the benefits of diet and exercise. Such individuals will normally be prescribed drugs called statins whose potency can be altered to suit the individual both initially and over time.

Before looking further at these 2 strategies (lifestyle and medication), it's worth bearing in mind that when medical professionals discuss cholesterol in people they are referring to 2 specific kinds which are: LDL (often called "bad cholesterol") and HDL (labeled "good cholesterol").

LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein) is a type of body fat (a lipid) that is produced as a result of the liver processing food. It is distributed via the bloodstream to supply energy to virtually every cell in the body and is therefore rather important. However, when more LDL than is necessary gets produced it tends to become deposited in arteries and veins, eventually clogging the system up with all too predictable consequences.

HDL cholesterol (High Density Lipoprotein, which means there is more protein than lipid) is able to soak up excess LDL and return it to the liver for recycling or waste. The human body however contains a much larger amount of LDL than HDL so it's an unequal struggle, but it has been shown that increasing the amount of exercise taken leads to an increase of HDL levels in the bloodstream.

Lifestyle modifications to lower LDL cholesterol are based on medical observations that excess weight, certain kinds of food, smoking, drinking and insufficient exercise are contribute significantly to high LDL cholesterol and that avoiding these things will therefore have the reverse effect and lower cholesterol levels.

Where dietary changes are concerned, the foodstuffs to cut down (or cut out) are those that contain high levels of saturated fat. Examples include hard cheese, butter, red meat, pastries, cakes and biscuits. At the same time also aim to increase the amount of fruit, vegetables, oat and beans present in the diet since these actively (and naturally) help lower cholesterol. So switching from butter to a plant sterol based spread (so-called "cholesterol lowering" spreads) ticks the boxes in both columns.

If lifestyle modifications alone prove insufficient to lower cholesterol below medically recommended limits then medical advice should be sought. The most common treatment for high cholesterol is a class of drugs called statins. These pills are not however to be regarded as an alternative to adopting a healthier lifestyle; they are supplemental to lifestyle changes.

The most commonly prescribed statins are (in ascending order of strength and using both clinical and brand names):

- Pravastatin (Lipostat)
- Simvastatin (Zocor)
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor)

Most people who are prescribed statins tolerate them easily and suffer no side-effects at all, but it should be noted that they can in some circumstances cause very serious damage to both muscle tissue and the liver, particularly when taken in high doses and accordingly it is common for patients to have reasonably regular blood tests to both monitor the effect of statins on cholesterol levels and to check for early signs of such internal damage.

So there it is - 2 proven, effective and medically approved ways to lower cholesterol. The difference between them is largely a matter of degree - taking prescription drugs is an extra measure over and above adopting a healthier lifestyle, which in most cases