High Colesterol

Learn how to naturally lower your colesterol

High colesterol can present a dangerous situation, as colesterol buildup could lead to heart disease, which affects nearly 61 million Americans.

As we mentioned on our Lower Colesterol Naturally page, it is important to note that over 75% of the body's colesterol is produced internally by the liver.

High Colesterol - What is LDL & HDL colesterol?

Depsite all the negative press, colesterol is an important part of proper bodily function. Colesterol is a non-soluble waxy substance which your body needs to make hormones, cell walls and nerve sheaths.

There are two types of colesterol, one is bad, one is good. Following is a brief description of each.

1) Bad Colesterol (LDL) - LDL colesterol attaches itself to artery walls, creating plaque that can build up and eventually block your arteries, which could result in a heart attack or stroke. If you have high colesterol you should try to lower LDL colesterol.

2) Good Colesterol (HDL) - HDL colesterol travels around in your bloodstream, picks up excess LDL colesterol and brings it back to your liver to be reprocessed. Therefore, HDL colesterol is cleaning out your body...high HDL colesterol is good.

In summary, when you are considering a diet for lowering high colesterol, you should only be avoiding food with high LDL colesterol, not HDL colesterol.

High Colesterol - What should you eat to lower colesterol?

A healthy diet for high colesterol should follow the following tips:

1. Limit your intake of trans fats, found commonly in margarine, even the so-called "healthy" varieties.

2. Reduce your intake of hydrogenated oils and unsaturated fat, found commonly in refined and processed foods. The saturated fat in eggs and butter is actually essential for the body, so no need to avoid them.

3. A low fat, low cholesterol diet can be dangerous because it can lower HDL (good) colesterol, and have minimal impact on LDL levels. So a low fat diet can actually make matters worse.

4. Take Omega 3 essential fatty acids, found commonly in organic flax oil and cod liver oil. Omega 3's are necessary for proper function of your heart.

4. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil when you cook if possible, as it has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL colesterol.

5. Add garlic to your cooking and dishes. It has been shown to lower LDL colesterol as well.

High Colesterol - How can you lower your body's colesterol levels?

As we mention above, only 25% of your body's colesterol comes from your diet. So along with following a healthy diet to lower high colesterol, it is also necessary to maintain colesterol levels within the body itself.

There are prescription medications called statins that can lower LDL cholesterol levels, but there are often dangerous side effects that can occur. You can read about the side effects of statin medications on our site.

Fortunately, there are natural herbs, vitamins and minerals that can help lower LDL colesterol and raise HDL colesterol in the body. They have been shown to be safer than prescription medications. These nutrients can be helpful along with a diet to lower high colesterol.

For a special nutritional product that can help significantly decrease high colesterol safely and naturally, just click the link and find out more.

Best Herbs to Lower High Colesterol

Guggulipid - an ancient Indian herb that has been shown to lower high colesterol and triglyceride levels. Guggulipid reduces LDL (bad colesterol) levels and has performed better than modern drugs in several trials.

Turmeric - a powerful herb used in curry dishes, turmeric contains curcumin which lowers LDL levels and improves blood circulation.

Green Tea - among its many therapeutic benefits green tea has been shown to lower the amount of LDL's in the blood stream, and aids in the prevention of blood vessel constriction.

Olive Leaf - native to the Mediterranean region, studies have shown that olive leaf extract may lower high colesterol levels, as well as facilitate blood flow and lower blood pressure.

Ginger - according to a study in the New England Journal of medicine, ginger helps reduce high colesterol in the body. This powerful herb used often in Chinese cooking also helps lower blood pressure and thins the blood.

Other Important Nutrients to Lower High Colesterol Naturally

Policosanol - a powerful extract from sugar cane wax that has been widely studied. Policosanol has been shown to lower bad colesterol (LDL) and increase good colesterol (HDL).

Chromium Polyniconate - this organic version of chromium can help lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) - in high dosages niacin has been shown to help reduce total cholesterol levels.

An Ideal Supplement for Lowering High Colesterol

We have found a comprehensive colesterol lowering product that we believe is ideal. It contains all of the natural cholesterol lowering herbs and nutrients we mention above in a perfectly balanced formula.

We throughly researched the company that makes this natural formula and have found that they adhere to strict GMP compliance, which is the highest manufacturing standards in the world. This ensures the quality and effectiveness of the ingredients.

Also, they only use standardized herbal extracts, the purest herbal extracts with the highest potency and therapeutic benefits.

It contains a synergistic blend of colesterol lowering herbs and minerals along with essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients to help lower cholesterol naturally as well as promote general well-being and health.

The product is a special cholesterol lowering formula with ingredients that can lower LDL cholesterol levels and raise good HDL cholesterol levels.

We also found a product that works in conjunction with the colesterol lowering formula called Total Balance which acts to improve heart health as well as promote general well-being.

Some of our editors as well as our visitors have experienced success with the Cholesterol Lowering Formula as well as Total Balance to lower colesterol naturally and other therapeutic benefits. They have taken these products in addition to following an exercise program and a low cholesterol diet.

As with all health supplements, results vary from person to person so be sure to consult your physician or qualified herbal professional before taking any supplements to lower high colesterol naturally.

more than high colesterol on our Heart Health page

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