Cholesterol Myths

Cholesterol has become a national obsession! It seems that everyone either has elevated cholesterol or is worried about having elevated cholesterol. As a result there is a great demand to find ways to natural cholesterol lower. Natural cholesterol cures abound, from special diets to supplements and many of them are very effective. In order to determine the most effective natural cholesterol treatments, it is important to understand how the body makes and uses this extremely important substance. As we will soon see, natural cholesterol remedies involve the use of key dietary supplements and increased fiber. The most effective natural cholesterol supplements combine both into one convenient formula for the user. Medicine approaches elevated cholesterol as if it were a 'disease' and attacks it with powerful and potentially dangerous drugs called statins. There are many forms of statin drugs on the market and all have the same dangerous side effects, as we will see soon. For this reason, methods to naturally lower cholesterol have become increasingly popular. To get your body's natural cholesterol lower, is not that difficult and the best part is that the natural cholesterol supplements pose no threat to your health and have virtually no side effects, even with long term use. Before we can discuss the natural cholesterol cures that are available, it is important to discuss the myths surrounding cholesterol. In an attempt to find a 'cause' for the heart disease epidemic, medical researchers examined the remains of those who had died and discovered that within their arteries, deposits of a yellowish fatty material was lining the arteries, cutting off blood flow. This substance was identified as cholesterol. Hence this natural and essential substance was blamed for causing the heart disease epidemic. Not true! In fact, there is not one article or study in any medical journal in the past 50 years that has ever been able to link cholesterol as the actual cause of heart disease or more specifically atherosclerosis or the narrowing of the arteries, reducing blood flow. Atherosclerosis starts years before cholesterol ever becomes involved. The real cause of atherosclerosis is damage to the inner muscle wall of the artery by chemical compounds known as free radicals. These free radicals attack the muscle cells of the artery wall, altering their DNA structure and cause them to over multiply. This process over time weakens the artery and the body then must place chemical bandages over the area to prevent hemorrhaging. Once this portion of the process has been completed, calcium, which normally floats freely in the blood, begins sticking to these specific sites only. This condition is called calcification of the arteries and is the second phase of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol, also naturally present in the bloodstream, is attracted to the calcium-lined areas of the artery and begins to build up. This is the final stage of atherosclerosis. By the time cholesterol sticks to your arteries, 90% of the disease process is already over. By attacking cholesterol, the actual cause of the problem is never addressed. The relationship between cholesterol and heart disease is weak at best and is only a concern in the final stages of the disease process. The amount of cholesterol is also relatively unimportant as the majority of those who suffer from a heart attack or who need to undergo bypass surgery have normal levels of cholesterol at the time!

Where is Cholesterol Made?

Your body manufactures the vast majority of cholesterol found internally at any given time. Cholesterol is vital to so many functions within the body that to blame cholesterol and heart disease is absurd. Cholesterol is essential for brain function. The insulation around every nerve in your body is primarily made up of cholesterol, and what your doctor has likely never told you is that total cholesterol levels below 150 increase your risk of a stroke by almost ten times!! Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. When the liver becomes congested or fatty due to toxin excess, it can no longer properly regulate cholesterol levels and they begin to rise over the years. Within reason, this is not that serious as long as the ratio between HDL and LDL cholesterol remains healthy. HDL is the 'good' cholesterol and protects the arteries against free radical and oxidative damage. LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol simply because it has a greater chance of oxidizing and forming further free radicals as well as other damaging compounds. We are not saying that highly elevated cholesterol levels are healthy, but they are a sign of a liver problem and should be addressed and managed as such. HDL and LDL ratios should also be considered and not just the total cholesterol volume. The role of cholesterol and heart disease has been highly exploited while the real cause of this epidemic goes un-addressed. Remember those free radicals we talked about that actually cause this problem? Guess where they come from? Vegetable oils!! That's right those 'healthy' unsaturated vegetable oils that we are told are so good for us actually produce the majority of the free radicals that specifically attack the artery walls. When these oils become rancid or oxidized, free radicals are produced by the millions. Olive oil, a monounsaturated oil is far superior since by its chemical structure, cannot form free radicals easily. Mediterranean diets endorse olive oil exclusively and they have far less heart disease than we do. Olive oil and cholesterol regulation is important in other ways as the olive oil contains properties that actually prevent oxidation of other fats. The Mediterranean countries have used olive oil for thousands of years and as such recognized the beneficial relationship between olive oil and cholesterol.

What About Those Cholesterol Drugs?

The medical industry pushes drugs for lowering cholesterol like candy mints. These drugs, called statins, however, have many potential side effects in spite of what your doctor may tell you. If statin drugs are so safe then consider this; statins are the only group of drugs, other than anti-psychotics, that require routine blood tests for liver function as they are so potentially dangerous to the liver. Their side effects are many including nausea, constipation, muscle pain, memory loss, diarrhea, kidney damage, muscle cell damage, cramping, and liver damage. Now, since we have learned that it is the liver that actually manufactures most of the cholesterol in your body and is also responsible for regulating the amount of cholesterol being produced, why would taking a drug that can damage the liver be a good idea? Some of the many side effects of statin drugs include nausea, constipation, muscle pain, memory loss, diarrhea, kidney damage, muscle cell damage, cramping, and liver damage. We have all this risk over something that is not actually causing heart disease! Statin drugs should be considered last instead of first when managing cholesterol levels due to the potentially serious side effects of nausea, constipation, muscle pain, memory loss, diarrhea, kidney damage, muscle cell damage, cramping, and liver damage. There are a variety of factors that can help your liver to regulate cholesterol naturally on its own. These natural cholesterol remedies include exercise, dietary changes and most importantly natural cholesterol supplements. Regular exercise helps to detoxify the body and also to mobilize cholesterol. Exercising for at least 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week is ideal.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol

Cutting all of the cholesterol out of your diet is often not the best way to help with the problem. Your body will eventually step up and produce more cholesterol if the diet is too low. Red wine has been shown to be very beneficial in overall cholesterol management due to the antioxidants in the red wine. These antioxidants help to prevent the oxidation and formation of free radicals so the red wine and cholesterol connection is valid. Use olive oil instead of unsaturated fats. Use saturated fats in moderation. Avoiding unsaturated fats and hydrogenated and trans fats will help a great deal as well. Consuming fish, especially fatty fish with high fish oil content and omega 3 fatty acids will also help the liver to function much better. Omega 3 fatty acids help to prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol and to raise the levels of healthy HDL cholesterol.

Key Supplements for Managing Cholesterol

The real secret to natural cholesterol treatment lies in key, targeted supplements, which include nutrients and fiber. The increased fiber helps to mobilize and remove excess cholesterol from the blood, which the targeted nutrients nourish and support proper liver function so that the organ may make natural cholesterol lower. Natural cholesterol supplements will include oat fiber, apple pectin and psyllium husk as these have proven to be the most effective forms of fiber to lowering cholesterol in the blood. Key nutrients for natural cholesterol treatment should include chromium, guggulipids, pantethine, Inositol and a blend of various phytosterols. The body can effectively use these nutrients and compounds to regulate cholesterol by detoxifying and nourishing the liver. Once liver function has improved not only will cholesterol normalize by itself, but the ratios between HDL and LDL cholesterol will improve as well.