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Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs
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Chapter 6: Practical Supplements_____________________________________________________
This will be the longest chapter in order to cover all the known supplements to help you lower your blood lipids. These will be in alphabetical order.
Acidophilus is important to keep our intestinal flora (good bacteria that digest our food) in balance and prevent growth of the harmful bacteria. It is in our large intestine where we digest fats. Studies at the University of Reading in England, TNO Institute in the Netherlands and other clinics have shown the value of acidophilus supplements to keep your intestines healthy, as that is where fat is digested and cholesterol is either absorbed or excreted. Purchase a good refrigerated brand with 3 billion units per capsule containing several different strains, and keep it refrigerated. There is even a special, stable “spore” form called “lactospore” available that can be used along with regular acidophilus. People in Western societies usually have very low counts of good bacteria due to eating too much food, too much fat, drinking coffee, drinking alcohol, and eating too much sugar. This causes poor digestion and the many resulting problems thereof. Be sure to take FOS and L-glutamine with your acidophilus.
Alfalfa extract has been promoted for lowering cholesterol but there don’t seem to be any published studies on this available in the last fifteen years. Alfalfa is a fine herb, but is relatively weak and needs to be extracted. This does not seem to be a good choice for lowering cholesterol.
Alginates are simply salts of alginic acid extracted from seaweeds. These are used extensively as thickeners in common foods such as chocolate milk. These colloids (ultrafine particles) are very effective at lowering blood lipids and removing toxic heavy metals like mercury from our blood. Scientists have known about both of these qualities for decades now, but it never became a popular supplement for some reason. It is rather difficult to find this at the retail level. Search the Internet for sodium alginate if you are interested, as this is an inexpensive, safe and very overlooked way to not only lower your cholesterol but to remove any excess mercury, cadmium and other metal toxins from your blood. Several companies offer these alginate supplements. Take about 3 grams a day for one year.
Artichoke leaf extract contains chlorogenic acid, cynarin and other effective compounds. There are a few studies that showed if you took enough of it you could lower your cholesterol. Artichoke extract is well known for its beneficial effects on the liver and in treating liver ailments. This is pricey and almost no one offers it, so it is not a practical choice currently. Artichoke extract is a fine herb, but it is rather weak and expensive. It seems to work, but you need to take quite a bit of it, like 1,800 mg a day.
Beta carotene is a good supplement to take and will work with other supplements synergistically to lower cholesterol. Take 10,000 IU daily of any good brand. You can take 25,000 IU the first year. This is a better choice than taking vitamin A, is a basic antioxidant, and has many other benefits for your health generally. There are many studies on beta carotene showing how powerful and effective it is as an antioxidant, how it helps regulate cholesterol metabolism, and protects against atherosclerosis. This should be a part of your daily supplement program for many other reasons than just lowering cholesterol.
Beta Glucan is discussed in Chapter 10.
Beta Sitosterol is discussed in Chapter 7.
Chitin is the natural fiber found in shellfish shells and has been sold as a popular diet aid since it absorbs fat, especially saturated fat, in the food we eat. This will help lower cholesterol if you take about 2 grams a day for one year. Other health benefits such as better digestion were shown in various animal studies. Chitin also has other health benefits which makes it worth taking. Un-fortunately most of the diet products sold actually contain chitosan (an unnatural, synthetic derivative) instead of real, natural chitin. Chitosan (which is deacylated chitin) will also lower cholesterol if you take two grams a day, but you should always choose the natural product over the synthetic one when you can. Read the label. The price has come down on this very much in the last few years making it a more practical choice. Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice tumeric. This has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for over 1,000 years. Curcumin is a very impressive supplement with antiviral, anti-flammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant effects as well as cholesterol lowering ability. Get a brand that provides at least 500 mg of actual curcumin stated on the label. There are lots of good studies on using curcumin for lowering cholesterol. There have been many studies published on this for conditions ranging from arthritis to various forms of cancer. This is a most important supplement to take for many reasons and every month there are new studies published on just how effective and powerful it is. This is exogenous so only take it for six to twelve months.
Vitamin C is a fine antioxidant when used in moderation of 500 mg or less a day. We only need about 60 mg and taking megadoses of several grams acidifies our naturally alkaline blood and unbalances our system. This will work with the other vitamins and other antioxidants to give a better quality of blood as long as you do not use large amounts of it. Long term studies show the dangers of using megadoses; 250 mg would be good. Years ago several books were written claiming that taking several grams a days (3,000 to 5,000 mg) would result in great health benefits. Linus Pauling was wrong! Since then we have learned that such doses result in much more debilitating side effects than benefits.
Vitamin E is a definite for heart and artery health. Thirty years ago the medical world would not even admit vitamin E was a necessary nutrient. This is found in whole grains and very deficient in our diets. Take 200 to 400 IU of any good brand you like, but be sure to choose the natural, mixed tocopherols and not just d-alpha. The studies on vitamin E and cardio health go back over 30 years and are overwhelming. This is definitely one of the basic supplements you want to take daily. Your multivitamin will most probably not contain the amount you need, so buy it separately. The media in 2005 has published very misleading reports claiming vitamin E is not good for you. These “studies” compared sickly people to healthy people and found the sickly people died sooner. What a surprise!
Fenugreek extract has shown promise in lowering cholesterol due to its galactomannon fiber content, but the few animal studies used very large amounts to do so. Until there is good human research this is not a good choice. Fenugreek extract has also shown animal study potential in such conditions as diabetes.
Fibers generally especially psyllium are very good for keeping your cholesterol low and they will also help keep you regular in your bowel movements. You can use sea fiber like chitin, or the usual plant fibers like guar gum, glucomannon, fruit (apple or citrus) pectin, oat bran, wheat bran, or others. Ideally your diet should be full of fibers especially from whole grains and from various beans. The more whole, natural foods you eat like whole grains and beans the less you will need a supplement fiber. Eating a naturally high fiber diet is the best way to get your daily fiber intake rather than taking a supplemental form of it.
Flax Oil is discussed in Chapter 9.
FOS is short for fructooligosaccharides, and is otherwise known as inulin, an extract of chicory root. This has been known about for a long time, but only recently was it discovered that this feeds your good intestinal bacteria. The higher your levels of beneficial flora in your intestines the lower your cholesterol levels generally. FOS is very good for your intestinal health and has good science behind it. Surgeons should be giving this to patients after intestinal surgery to help them heal faster. Anyone with intestinal disorders should consider using this in large doses (like three grams a day) for a year. FOS is widely available and you should take one or two 750 mg capsules a day with your acidophilus. If you can’t find this, search the Internet for an inexpensive brand. If you want to improve your intestinal health taking FOS along with a strong brand of acidophilus and some L-glutamine every day will do wonders for you along with abstinence from alcohol and coffee, a low fat/low sugar diet and eating lower calorie foods.
Garlic has many proven health benefits. Many studies over the years have verified the advantage to garlic supplements for better cholesterol levels. Here it is important to get a good, reliable, dependable brand that has high levels of active ingredients stated on the label. If you take an unknown brand you may well get few results. Of course, you can choose to use lots of fresh garlic in your cooking. The composition of garlic supple-ments varies greatly so you have to get a good reliable brand to get results.
Glucomannon is a plant fiber from the konjac root and may help you lose weight while lowering your cholesterol. It is inexpensive and widely available, but you should take at least 2-3 grams a day at least at first. This swells up in your stomach giving you a feeling of fullness so you may eat less and still feel full. There are many studies on the effectiveness of glucomannon including human studies. Just take this for one year.
Glutamine is a common amino acid known as “L-glutamine”. It is easily found and very inexpensive. L-glutamine has shown very impressive benefits on the health of our intestines. Progressive surgeons are giving it to their patients after intestinal surgery. It also has been shown to spike levels of human growth hormone when taken in doses of one gram two times a day (AM and PM). The scientific literature recently has published many studies on the benefits of L-glutamine supplementation. This is a definite part of your supplement program and will help keep your intestines full of good bacteria and free of the bad.
Glutathione is one of the two basic antioxidant enzymes that help fight dangerous free radicals and are involved in cholesterol metabolism. Ironically, orally taking glutathione itself does a poor job of raising blood levels. Fortunately there is a supplement called N-acetyl-cysteine or “NAC” that effectively raises glutathione levels. Take a 600 mg capsule daily. Unfortunately, the other basic antioxidant enzyme, S.O.D. (superoxide dismutase), is not orally absorbed, and must be injected to get into the bloodstream. NAC is a good general supplement for anyone over the age of 40.
Grape extract can come either from the seeds or from the skins. Grape skin extract is called “resveratrol” and there are claims it will lower cholesterol. The few studies in the literature were funded by the manufacturer. The seed extract is a popular antioxidant and cholesterol benefits are claimed for it as well although the active ingredients are very different. Again, there is a scarcity of good evidence for this. There are better, more proven supplements to spend your money on.
Guar gum is a very good fiber to use. It is easier to take capsules as mixing this with any liquid will thicken it up so much it will be hard to drink. In fact it is used commonly in very small amounts as a thickener in foods such as salad dressing. There are many studies on the benefits of this fine fiber from the Cyamopsis plant in India. Like other such fibers you need at least 2-3 grams a day for results. Surprisingly, there are lots of studies on this inexpensive natural supplement. This is inexpensive and commonly found. Take for one year. This is a good choice.
Guggul Gum is discussed in Chapter 8.
Lecithin emulsifies dietary fats so they can be digested more easily. It works by decreasing the absorption of cholesterol in our intestines and other mechanisms. This soybean extract is sold everywhere and is very inexpensive. Take a 1200 mg softgel daily. It is also known as phosphatidyl choline and is good for brain health, memory and liver function. (Do not confuse this with “PS” or phosphatidyl serine, which is also a fine supplement for brain health in 100 mg doses.) This is a good choice for good heart and artery health with studies going back for many years. Lecithin has been shown to lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, homocysteine levels as well as being anti-atherogenic and help keep our arteries clear of fat buildup.
Magnesium is a vital mineral that has many proven benefits. Magnesium should definitely be a part of your supplement program as calcium cannot be absorbed without both magnesium and boron. Even if you are eating a diet rich in whole grains (the best source) it is still wise to take about a 200 to 500 mg supplement of any kind. There are numerous scientific studies on magnesium supplements that show various benefits to health including lower cholesterol and even lower blood pressure. Make sure your mineral supplement contains this.
Manganese is a very important mineral that will work with the other minerals in maintaining proper blood lipid levels. You only need about 2 mg a day and this should be found in any good mineral supplement. You need all the basic minerals and trace elements to work together as a team, and manganese is an important and basic one.
Minerals are very important to fat metabolism and digestion. The importance for getting all the minerals and trace elements we need for proper cholesterol synthesis and metabolism is not generally recognized. You need about 20 elements including calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, boron, selenium, chromium, iodine, molybdenum, manganese, copper, germanium, strontium, nickel, tin, cobalt, rubidium, cesium, silicon and vanadium. A lot of research needs to be done in this area. Soon we will see more research on minerals like molybdenum, copper and zinc and their role in cholesterol metabolism. Boron (3 mg) is especially important as our diets are generally deficient and we have studies linking boron deficiency to hyperlidemia. Vanadium (1 mg) is another mineral important to cholesterol metabolism. You will rarely find this in any mineral formula. Selenium (200 mcg) is generally deficient in our diets and important to maintaining healthy blood lipid levels. Silicon (10 mg) is also rarely found in any mineral product. This is the “forgotten element” and plain silica gel (not horsetail) is a good source. Chromium (200 mcg) is also generally deficient in our diets. Use any regular form of this. All minerals work together in concert, so it is important to make sure you get enough of all of them. Our soils are generally mineral deficient as are our processed and refined foods. Nearly everyone is mineral deficient in some way especially the trace and ultra-trace elements. It is very difficult to find a mineral supplement anywhere with more than ten elements in the amounts you need. Search the Internet under “mineral supplements” to find one with at least 18. Read the label.
Niacin, niacinamide and “non-flushing” niacin are NOT good choices for lowering your cholesterol regardless of the hype you’ve read. You need massive doses that unbalance your body metabolism, even though it is a water-soluble vitamin. You only need 20 mg a day. There are much safer and effective means of lowering cholesterol than using megadoses of niacin. Remember that megadoses of anything are contraindicated. Don’t fall for this no matter how many slick articles you read. Many people are now taking various forms of niacin in large doses when there are much better, more effective and safer ways to lower cholesterol.
Policosanol aka octacosanol is touted as an effective means to lower cholesterol. All the “studies” come from storefronts in Cuba. This is another promotion for money that has no value. In 2005 claims are even being made for better heart health and other benefits. Anytime you see some newsletter doctor or other self-appointed authority on natural health promote this you know they are clueless. Please don’t fall for this and waste your money. Who else on earth is warning you about frauds like this?
Pectin is found basically in the inner rind of citrus fruits or in apples. All are very effective. Do NOT fall for the advertise- ments for overpriced “modified” citrus pectin. Modified pectin is an expensive promotion without merit. Plain old, regular, inexpensive citrus or apple pectin is a very effective fiber. Like the other fibers, you need to take at least 2-3 grams of this daily. Studies abound on the use of pectin and this is a very good choice but you have to take enough of it. There are other health benefits to taking pectin. Take for one year. This is a good choice.
Red rice yeast has been promoted as a wonder drug for cholesterol. Yes, it does work if you take enough of it, but it hasn’t proven to be safe, and it is not cheap. Many products do not give you the one gram daily you need to be effective. Supposedly this contains a “natural version” of a statin drug. This is reason enough not to use it! Natural does not necessarily mean good, and this may have unknown side effects. We have no information on long term safety here. There are better, safer and cheaper ways to lower cholesterol. This is another example of advertising convincing people a supplement is valid. Fortunately it has largely fallen out of favor in 2005.
Soy Isoflavones are discussed in Chapter 11.
Spirulina has been hyped for a long time now as some kind of wonder food. It is simply fresh water algae as is chorella. There are no valid studies in the last 30 years on any benefits from taking spirulina, much less to lower blood fats, and no active ingredients were ever identified. You need a lot of this to get the supposed effects and it is pricey. You must eat 3-4 grams a day. Often you see this sold by promoters and multi-level marketers.
Taurine is a common amino acid and there are many animal studies on the benefits of supplementation. Finally human studies have been done. There are also benefits for diabetes and other blood sugar conditions. Take 500 mg for one year even though it is endogenous and found in our daily food and in our bodies.
Tea (green) really does work and really will help your cholesterol levels. The catechins and polyphenols found in green tea are very powerful antioxidants. Find a decaffeinated brand and do not take the inexpensive brands full of caffeine. This is simply common black tea before it is fermented. Many studies have been done on the health benefits generally and the active ingredients. Green tea extract is a good choice for a lot of reasons. Take this for only one year as it is exogenous and not a common food.
TMG aka trimethylglycine aka betaine has powerful rejuvenation properties for our liver. The human studies on this are most impressive. Take 3 grams of this every day for six to twelve months to cleanse and strengthen your liver. Our livers are stressed from our high fat diets and intake of prescription drugs, recreational drugs, alcohol, coffee, and preservatives. The liver is our largest internal organ and processes the fats in our blood. The liver and gall bladder are central to cholesterol metabolism. This is very important to do!
Vitamins only number thirteen and there is an RDA for all of them. You can easily find a complete vitamin formula with all thirteen in the recommended RDAs. Find one with methyl cobalamin instead of regular B-12 as it is much more absorbable.
If you are over 40, or have a medical condition of some kind, there are other supplements you should be taking for your general health, especially your cardiovascular health. CoQ10 100 mg is a most important such supplement. Do not take any less than this. Lipoic acid 200 mg is important for blood sugar metab- olism. Phosphatidyl serine (PS) 100 mg is a vital brain nutrient. Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) 500 mg is another vital brain supplement. Vitamin D3 (400 IU) is really a hormone and not a vitamin at all. You should take 400 IU in addition to a good vitamin supplement that contains 400 IU. You only find this in small amounts in foods like eggs. Glucosamine (500 mg) is necessary for preventing arthritis; 95% of people over the age of 65 suffer from this in some form. DIM (200 mg) is good for normalizing estrogen levels in both men and women. Quercitin (100 mg) is a strong antioxidant well worth taking instead of grape seed extract. Aloe vera gel (100-200 mg of a 200:1 extract) is a fine temporary supplement that can be used for up to a year since it is exogenous. Milk thistle extract (2 capsules) is another temporary supplement that can be used for up to one year to cleanse and tone your liver. Ellagic acid (100 mg) is a third temporary supplement that has shown anti-cancer and other properties.
Do not waste your money on such promotional frauds as lycopene, chondroitin, noni juice, colloidal minerals, sea silver, colloidal silver, coral calcium, deer antler, modified citrus pectin, megadoses of anything, OTC (over-the-counter) growth hormone secretagogues, OTC testosterone boosters, any weight loss product, any sexual rejuvenation formula, all bee products, all homeopathic products, and other such useless promotions.
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