Scientists continue to study the effects vitamins have on lowering cholesterol. Some vitamins seem to have the ability to help the body's system to rid itself of cholesterol. The vitamins don't actually fight the cholesterol head-on, but either stop it from accumulating or push it through the system without causing harm. Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin that becomes part of an LDL (or bad) cholesterol particle in the bloodstream, may help prevent cholesterol from oxidizing to wreak havoc and clog arteries. The LDL cholesterol passes through the artery wall without forming plaque, which can lead to arteriosclerosis, the hardening of arteries, or heart disease.
Vitamin E
There is evidence that Vitamin E inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health. A study of 90,000 nurses, reported in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 1993, found that heart disease was 30 to 40 percent lower in subjects with the highest intakes of Vitamin E, primarily from supplements. A report by the Institute of Medicine, Washington, D.C., in 2000 suggests that Vitamins C and E help prevent the formation of blood clots. Vitamin E may not have a direct effect on cholesterol, but it works to prevent cholesterol from accumulating and forming into plaques, according to Lower Cholesterol News, a website on cholesterol and vitamins. The prevention of blockages in the arteries may prevent stroke or heart attack with constant Vitamin E intake. The vitamin might also work to support the body's cell membranes, which are often destroyed by cholesterol.
Other Vitamins
Niacin, or Vitamin B3, may lower LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol levels and fatty triglycerides, possibly through a similar process of inhibiting the oxidation of cholesterol. Niacin also raises good HDL cholesterol levels. HDL helps flush bad LDL cholesterol out of the system. Vitamin B12 is also known to reduce cholesterol levels. It is often better to get this vitamin through supplements, because many foods with Vitamin B12 are high in saturated fat. Chicken and fish are among the best B12 foods. Vitamin C may also have the ability to lower LDL cholesterol and raise the good levels, according to a report by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston and published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in 1992. Researchers looked at studies of men and women 60 and over along with random trials of men and women ages 20 to 60 who took Vitamin C supplements. They found 4.1 percent lower levels of LDL cholesterol in the subjects overall and from 3.7 to 9.5 percent higher levels of good HDL cholesterol.
