Optimize your plasma cholesterol levels

Optimize cholesterol levels without statin drugs and their inherent health risks

It is important to recognize that cholesterol is a consequence of arterial damage in CVD, not the cause of it.   As such it would NOT be wise to remove the cholesterol component of arterial plaque (Lp(a), which was laid down as a stop-gap repair to prevent bleeding out through the arterial wall) until you first “beef up”/strengthen the arterial walls with connective tissue components (E.g. using the Rath-Pauling Therapy)

Substances which dIrectly lower cholesterol levels

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) lowers cholesterol

B3 in food.   Rice bran, tuna, chicken liver, white-meat chicken, wheatgerm, brown rice;

Effective cholesterol-lowering dose of B3.   Begins at ~ 1000 mg / day for most people;

Detrimental effects.   B3 can cause liver damage at cholesterol-lowering dose, and can cause red, itchy rash;

B3 Supplement Forms

•  Crystalline Niacin (Nicotinic acid).   Produces red, itchy rash, sometimes at doses as low as 20 mg.

•  Timed-release Niacin (niacinamide).   More notorious for liver damage, does not produce a rash, but also not proven effective at lowering cholesterol.

•  Inositol hexanicotinate.   Small group studies have found that this “no-flush”form of niacin is not as damaging to liver. 1000-1500mg per day in divided doses typically lowers cholesterol

The body can synthesize 1 mg niacin from ~60 mg tryptophan.    With cofactors B1, B2 and B6.

Chromium combined with vitamin B3 (niacin) lowers cholesterol in 50% of people with high serum levels.   This combination has been patented as a cholesterol-lowering agent.

Chromium

Chromium is known to increase the effect of INSULIN

Chromium supplementation.   100-200mcg shown to increase HDL and decrease total cholesterol and triglycerides andimprove glucose tolerance.

Chlorectics

Choloretics (stimulate Bile Production) Combined with Natural Fibers (Absorb Bile)

Natural chloretics, such as standardized artichoke extract (100-200mg/day) forces the liver to produce bile.     This  will then cause the liver to take more cholesterol from the blood via its LDL receptors and produce more bile;

Natural bile sequestering fibers such as psyllium or guar gum prevent the bile from being reabsorbed .  Bile is removed in the stool.

Gugulipids

Used in India for centuries.   Gugulipids come from the resin of the mukul myrrh tree;

Shown to lower serum cholesterol and triglycerides, lower LDL and raise HDL levels.   It's main action seems to be by increasing the number of hepatic LDL receptors.

Taken as a sole therapy use 50-75 mg / day.   However, only use 10-25 mg/day when added with synergistic ingredients.

OTHERS

Red Yeast Rice Extract.    A potent inhibitor of the rate-limiting enzyme, HMG-CoA Reductase, in cholesterol synthesis. This is the same enzyme targeted by statin drugs.

Lipitrol.    Product combining Chromium, Inositol, Gugulipids, Guar Gum and Artichoke extract, to synergistically lower cholesterol.

Raise HDL Cholesterol Levels

HDL is a potent antioxidant capable of preventing the formation of oxidatively modified LDL cholesterol (LDL-C)

Vitamin C shown to raise HDL significantly.   Dr. Bazzare of Univ. of N. Carolina found that 1000mg Vitamin C / day reduced HDL in both smokers and non-smokers  {Bazzarre T, 1986)

References

Bazzarre, T. L. (1986). Effects of vitamin C supplementation among male smokers and non-smokers. Nutr. Rep. Int. 33:711-720