Lowering Cholesterol Naturally
Many studies show that there is a definite connection between heart disease and cholesterol. Some doctors suggest the intake of statins, a cholesterol-lowering drug for patients with high cholesterol since it one point of cholesterol level drop reduces the risk of heart attack by 2 percent. However, taking statins can cause several side effects like liver damage, muscle pain, fatigue and other. So we listed the 5 natural ways of lowering your cholesterol naturally.
Improve/Increase good cholesterol.
- HDL cholesterol or “Good Cholesterol” is much less likely to clog your arteries and lead to stoke or heart attack as compared to LDL or “Bad Cholesterol”. Getting regular exercise and keeping fats and animal proteins to a minimum helps improve your bad and good cholesterol ratio.
Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-3 fatty acids which we can get from consumption of fish several times a week can help. Cold-water fish, such as salmon and others, are particularly important for lowering cholesterol. Alternatively, you can use fish oil supplements. Fish oil supplements containing EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) have been proven in several large studies to decrease low density LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Increase Fiber intake
- Fiber lessens the reabsorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream, lowering our cholesterol level naturally. You can increase your dietary fiber by eating green leafy vegetable and other foods high in fiber.
Niacin
- Niacin (vitamin B3) lowers LDL cholesterol levels while increasing good cholesterol (HDL). Niacin has unique ability to improve lipid profiles for ApoB, LDL, small dense LDL, HDL, HDL2b – an extremely good cholesterol, Lp(a), fibrinogen and trigycerides
Reduce cholesterol oxidation using antioxidants.
- Antioxidants are very vital for disarming free radicals and preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Antioxidants found in vitamins C and E includes beta-carotene and lycopene, help protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals.