Question: I have been diagnosed as having high cholesterol, but a quick search about the side effects of statin drugs has made me very nervous. What do you suggest instead?
Answer: Lowering cholesterol with drugs and diet can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, so even though heart drugs like statins can cause side effects, it is important not to stop taking them suddenly.
That said, it is possible to reduce the dose and even wean yourself off them altogether with natural methods.
Chinese red yeast rice is a supplement that contains lovastatin, a naturally occurring plant sterol that acts like a statin, blocking cholesterol absorption.
Studies from the University of California and Tufts University School of Medicine show that patients taking this supplement lowered their total cholesterol by taking 2.4 grams daily.
Taking omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish and flaxseed, also elevates HDL ('good') cholesterol and reduces artery-hardening triglycerides.
Garlic and onions are both cardio-protective, reducing levels of unhealthy fats in the blood, maintaining heart muscle and aortic elasticity, and helping to lower blood pressure; garlic also appears to inhibit cholesterol manufacture in the liver and to increase the excretion of cholesterol.
Turmeric has antioxidant activity that can help to lower cholesterol levels and has demonstrated reduction of the symptoms of angina pectoris.
Other cardio-protective foods and herbs include:
- Vitamin E, which protects cholesterol from oxygenation and thins the blood.
- Bioflavonoids, an anti-inflammatory that helps to dilate blood vessels.
- Polyphenols in red wine and red grapes, which inhibit the formation of endothelin-1, a chemical that makes blood vessels constrict, and also reduce the stickiness of the blood and protect the lining of the blood vessels of the heart by producing nitric oxide.
- Green tea, which is rich in catechins and polyphenols which are antioxidants
- Hawthorn, which strengthens the heart muscle, increases coronary blood flow, and keeps the heartbeat regular.
- Ginkgo, which reduces the stickiness of blood platelets.
- Rosemary, which reduces LDL — 'bad' — cholesterol in the blood.
With your diet, think high fibre (beans, brown rice, oats, apples, psyllium, bran, and barley) to bind to excess cholesterol in the gut and move it out of your body.
Video: Cholesterol fighters
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