Natural methods to reduce cholesterol.

I have put headings on each sub-topic so you can skip to whichever bits you find interesting and relevant to you.

The topics I will be covering are:

Cholesterol Made simple
Diet vs Statins
My family’s experience
Diet to reduce cholesterol
Other lifestyle changes
The risks of taking Statins
Conclusion

Note: I have placed sources and useful links throughout the newsletter for those of you who wish for further reading on the topic.

Now let’s begin!

Cholesterol Made Simple

Cholesterol is essential to our survival. Every cell in our body needs it to exist.

Every cell in our body creates cholesterol but some cells can’t make enough whereas our liver, for example, produces more than it needs.

Our body ships the extra cholesterol to the cells that need it via our circulatory system (the system that pumps blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen).

Cholesterol is a lipid which means it’s insoluble.

This means our body needs to ship it around as a lipoprotein.

Lipoproteins can be divided by density into high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL).

High levels of HDL cholesterol are a marker of good metabolic health.

High levels of LDL cholesterol are an indicator of bad metabolic health.

LDL cholesterol can embed itself into artery walls where it oxidizes and causes inflammation leading to heart attacks.

Our cholesterol levels are therefore tied to our heart health, which is why it’s so important we make sure they’re in a healthy range.

Unfortunately, many people have had the experience of being told by their doctor that their LDL cholesterol is too high and that it is recommended that they go on medication (statins) to lower their cholesterol.

Understandably, most people ask to try some lifestyle interventions first, such as altering their diet, before they are put onto statins for (potentially) the rest of their life.

Diet vs Statins

How effective are dietary interventions compared to taking statins?

A Randomized controlled trial was conducted between October and December 2002 to find out.

The participants were forty-six hyperlipidemic adults (25 men and 21 postmenopausal women) with a mean age of 59 years and body mass index of 27.6

Both the statin and diet groups showed significant improvements over the control group.

But there were “no significant differences in efficacy between the Statin and dietary treatments.”

The right diet proved to be just as effective as statins in reducing cholesterol.

To read the study for yourself at the Journal of the American Medical Association (click here)

My family’s experience

The study above is very much in line with the experience of two of my family members.

My youngest brother Ranjit was told by his doctor that his cholesterol level was dangerously high.

He immediately changed his diet and the medical staff were stunned by the improvement.

Five years have passed and he has had no further issues with cholesterol.

My brother-in-law Ashok had exactly the same experience.

He was diagnosed with dangerously high cholesterol and his subsequent change of diet successfully resolved the issue.

How to diet to reduce cholesterol

Foods that raise cholesterol

Reduce or stop eating the following:

Foods high in saturated fats

• fatty cuts of meat.
• meat products, including sausages and pies.
• butter, ghee, and lard.
• cheese, especially hard cheese like cheddar.
• cream, soured cream and ice cream.
• some savoury snacks, like cheese crackers and some popcorns.
• chocolate confectionery.
• biscuits, cakes, and pastries.

High-cholesterol foods

• Full-fat dairy. Whole milk, butter and full-fat yogurt and cheese are high in saturated fat. …
• Red meat. Steak, beef roast, ribs, pork chops and ground beef tend to have high saturated fat and cholesterol content. …
• Processed meat. …
• Fried foods. …
• Baked goods and sweets. …
• Eggs. …
• Shellfish. …
• Lean meat.

Foods containing Trans-fats

• Commercial baked goods, such as cakes, cookies and pies.
• Shortening.
• Microwave popcorn.
• Frozen pizza.
• Refrigerated dough, such as biscuits and rolls.
• Fried foods, including french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken.
• Nondairy coffee creamer.
• Stick margarine.

Foods that lower cholesterol

Start eating more of the following:

• Black beans. Black beans are not only a great way to give your dishes a meaty texture but also an amazing source of fiber. …
• Lima beans. Lima beans, also known as butter beans, are large, flat, greenish-white beans. …
• Brussels sprouts. …
• Avocados. …
• Sweet potatoes. …
• Broccoli. …
• Turnips. …
• Pears.

Plant-based proteins

• Tofu, tempeh, and edamame.
• Lentils. …
• Chickpeas. …
• Peanuts. …
• Almonds. …
• Spirulina. …
• Quinoa. …
• Mycoprotein.

Nuts and seeds

• almonds.
• Brazil nuts.
• cashew nuts.
• hazelnuts.
• macadamias.
• pecans.
• pine nuts.
• pistachios.

Other lifestyle changes

• Exercise regularly
• Lose weight
• Cut down on alcohol
• Stop smoking

The Risks Of Taking Statins

Statins are mostly safe but they are not risk-free.

According to the premier medical journal “The Lancet”:

“The only adverse events shown definitely to be caused by statin therapy are myopathy (specifically defined as muscle pain or weakness combined with large increases in blood concentrations of creatine kinase) and diabetes, although it is likely that the risk of haemorrhagic stroke is also increased.

Typically, treatment of 10 000 patients for 5 years with an effective statin regimen (eg, atorvastatin 40 mg daily) would be expected to cause about 5 extra cases of myopathy (one of which might progress to rhabdomyolysis), 50–100 cases of diabetes, and 5–10 haemorrhagic strokes.

Statin therapy may also cause symptomatic adverse events (eg, muscle pain or weakness) in up to 50–100 patients per 10 000 treated for 5 years.”

To read the full report in The Lancet (click here)

Conclusion

Diet and other lifestyle changes can be an effective way of lowering cholesterol.

It’s important to note that genetics plays a part and diet and lifestyle changes will be more effective for some people than others.

As statins are not risk free many of us will choose to try various natural methods to reduce cholesterol first.

However if those fail it is almost certainly best to take the statins as the risks they pose are very small compared to the risks high cholesterol poses.

The NHS has a very helpful and quick to read guide on high cholesterol that I recommend taking a look at.

You can read it by clicking here

Source for this post: Healthline.com