Lower your Cholesterol

It Can Be Done!

While we can't change our age (at least not backwards) or our genetics, there are things that can be done before taking supplements or medications to keep cholesterol levels in check or even lower them.

Being proactive throughout your life can help decrease your risk for heart disease and stroke. But getting started now can still produce many benefits for your body and your health even if you are older.

High cholesterol can start forming plaque and hardening arteries as early as the teen years.

Here are a few helpful tips that can help you keep your levels where they need to be.

• Keep your cholesterol intake to less than 300mg a day. This recommendation from the AMA (American Heart Association) is followed by their recommendation of lowering fat intake especially saturated and trans fats.
• Get up and get moving. Regular exercise can strengthen your heart and help you maintain a healthy weight. And you don't have to spend your life at the gym, a brisk walk or a bike ride counts.
• Stop smoking. If you smoke, you have heard all the bad stuff and why you should quit so I won't go into it here, but lower cholesterol levels is just another reason to add to that list.
• Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Whole grains, beans and fish should also go on your list of what you should eat more of.
• For the meat eaters out there, try and use meat that is not as fatty. Trim that fat and remove the skin from the chicken. (I know it tastes good but even cutting off half of it is a step in the right direction.)
• If you have to have your milk use the low fat or even skim (no fat) milk. They also make low fat cheese and yogurt.
• If you use margarine make sure it doesn't have any trans-fats.
• Beware of commercially processed foods – the stuff in the box you just pop in the oven or microwave. They quite often have hydrogenated oils and trans fats – we won't even mention all the other not so good stuff they put into processed foods.

What if my Cholesterol is still high?

For some people genetics and age seem to win out over all the little tips and tricks found here or from your doctor. For these people a supplement is quite often the only way to lower their LDL levels; most of the time this supplement is a drug prescribed by a Doctor.

But there are natural supplements that can lower your cholesterol levels. These supplements are composed of sterols and stanols, which are found naturally in plants, fruits, vegetables, and grains. More than 80 research studies have shown that these sterols and stanols do lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

How do plant sterols and stanols work?

When you eat these foods derived from plants the sterols and stanols are ingested. They are very similar to cholesterol in their structural makeup so they compete with the cholesterol in your food for a chance to be absorbed by your digestive system. When the plant sterols and stanols bind up the receptors found in your intestine, the cholesterol gets left behind and not absorbed into your system.

In January, 2001, I was diagnosed with Coronary Heart Disease. I had two blockages. My cardiologist said this was a result of a very high LDL (Bad) Cholesterol level in my blood system. I was prescribed two medicines.

During the last 9 years of using these drugs, I continually heard about the side effects and the negative impact most chemical medicines have on the human body and immune system. In December of 2009, I decided to cut my medications in half. The result was a jump in the LDL from 72 in December 2009 to 127 in June 2010. This was not good and my cardiologist was very unhappy with this change.

In September 2010, I found out about a new natural Cholesterol Reduction Complex. While still using 1/2 the recommended prescriptions, I started taking the 2 tablets twice daily in October 2010. My next blood panel was scheduled for December. From October to December, the use of the 2,000 mg. of natural Plant Sterols and Stanols dramatically dropped my LDL (from 127 to 33) and increased my HDL (from 70 to 81). ~ Sam B.

The National Institute for Health recommends that you get 2000 milligrams of plant sterols and stanols every day. To get that much you would need to eat 6.5 cups of soybeans or 59 oranges or 47.5 cucumbers. That's a lot.

But now there is an all-natural supplement made by the #1 Nutritional Company in the U.S. that can provide you all 2000mg of the plant sterols without the huge dietary increase.

Make a Change

If you are concerned about cholesterol and heart disease, talk to your doctor and take a look at the list of things you can do on your own to reduce your cholesterol levels. Anytime you can avoid prescriptions and other drugs filled with toxic chemicals I think it is a good thing.

Take action to do something about the problem before it is too late. Be proactive in your health and start taking better care of your body now. It will thank you in the future. After all, our health is our greatest wealth.

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