Dangerous and uncomfortable side effects have been associated with cholesterol-lowering medications, especially when taken at their highest recommended dosages. Some people are sensitive and reactive to the lowest recommended doses as well, and decline to take them. As a consequence, many people are turning to non-drug choices and finding them to be safe and effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels, and thereby their risk for heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Unfortunately, some of these choices are not covered by insurance, so they can be somewhat expensive. The benefit, however, is that side effects such as liver damage and kidney failure are not an issue and can be avoided. Many people are successful with close monitoring of their cholesterol levels and selection of food choices alone.
Plant Sterols and Stanols
Plant stanols are similar in size and structure to cholesterol. Because of their similarities, plant stanols can block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream through the digestive tract. Plant sterols are the fats in plants. The plant sterols combine with cholesterol particles in the GI system to form larger particles called micelles. Large particles of cholesterol and sterols are too large to be absorbed and are therefore passed out of the body instead of into the blood stream.
Plant sterols are found in vegetable oil and whole grains such as corn, rye, and wheat, but only in small amounts. Effective doses for lowering total and LDL cholesterol, however, are much higher at about 1 gram a day and can be obtained in pill form or functional foods, such as those produced by Benecol (see Resources).
Red Yeast RIce
Red yeast rice is the product of yeast (Monascus purpureus) grown on rice, and contains components similar in structure to statin drugs (drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol), yet is a non-drug choice for lowering cholesterol. It inhibits the production of cholesterol in the liver, lowering total blood cholesterol levels as well as LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in health persons with high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).
Red yeast rice has been used safely in Asian foods for centuries. In China, it has been used for medicinal purposes as well. Today, Asians sprinkle it on main dishes like tofu or use it as a natural colorful food topping. Encapsulated, extracts of Monascus are sold in many countries as "monocolin" and considered a dietary non-drug supplement effective for lowering cholesterol as well as lowering high blood pressure.
Fish Oil
According to the peer-reviewed journal, Pharmacy and Therapeutics, dietary fish oil has been shown to lower blood lipids and is especially effective in lowering triglycerides, a result difficult to achieve with the commonly-prescribed statin medications.
Besides lowering triglycerides, the omega-3 fatty acids provide other benefits to the heart such as reducing the risk of arrhythmia (dangerous irregular heart rhythms), slowing the development of atherosclerosis (plaque on artery walls), and helping to keep blood pressure levels managed without medication.
Elevated triglycerides can increase the risk of dying from a heart attack even if a person's total cholesterol levels are in the normal range.
Policosanol
Policosanol is derived from sugar cane wax. It is a combination of natural alcohols and not a sugar. At the therapeutic dose of 40 milligrams taken at bedtime, policosanol has shown to be a powerful and effective non-drug way to lower total and LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol in people with elevated levels.
It is also at least as effective as aspirin for preventing platelet aggregation, a blood clotting condition caused by blood platelet cells sticking together.
Dietary Choices
One of the best non-drug therapies for lowering high cholesterol is to monitor dietary cholesterol consumption. Our livers make cholesterol naturally, so adding dietary cholesterol found in animal sources of food will elevate cholesterol in the blood.
Check nutritional labels for cholesterol amounts in food. Stay under a total of 100 milligrams a day if you have difficulty lowering cholesterol levels, and under 200 milligrams a day if your concerns of heart disease are moderate to low. Highest amounts of cholesterol will be found in meats that have fatty marbling throughout. Look for a lean cut of meat or avoid completely, remembering that it is the fat in the meat that causes the cholesterol elevation, not the protein of the meat.
References
- "Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database"; JM Jellin; 2002
- "Take a Load Off Your Heart"; Barry A Franklin, Ph.D.; 2003
- Koski R, PharmD; Omega-3-acid Ethyl Esters (Lovaza) For Severe Hypertriglyceridemia"; P T. 2008 May; 33(5): 271--303
- "Lowering Cholesterol"; Darin Ingels, ND; 1999
- "Prescription for Natural Cures"; James F. Balch, MD; 2004
