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Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic staffFew natural products have been proven to reduce cholesterol, but some might be helpful. With your doctor's OK, consider these cholesterol-lowering supplements and products:
- Artichoke
- Barley
- Beta-sitosterol (found in oral supplements and some margarines, such as Promise Activ)
- Blond psyllium (found in seed husk and products such as Metamucil)
- Garlic
- Oat bran (found in oatmeal and whole oats)
- Sitostanol (found in oral supplements and some margarines, such as Benecol)
You may have also heard of another supplement to reduce cholesterol, red yeast rice. Some brands of red yeast rice contain lovastatin, the active ingredient in the drug Mevacor. This can be unsafe, since there's no way to determine the quantity or quality of the lovastatin in the supplement.
If you choose to take cholesterol-lowering supplements, remember the importance of a healthy lifestyle. If your doctor prescribes medication to reduce your cholesterol, take it as directed. Make sure your doctor knows which supplements you're taking as well.
- Cholesterol. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4488. Accessed April 20, 2010.
- High blood cholesterol: What you need to know. National Cholesterol Education Program. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.pdf. Accessed April 20, 2010.
- Executive summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atp3xsum.pdf. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- Arsenault BJ, et al. Beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: Respective contributions of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio to coronary heart disease risk in apparently healthy men and women. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;55:35.
- Daniels SR, et al. Lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood. Pediatrics. 2008;122:198.
- Ford ES, et al. Concentrations of low density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol among children and adolescents in the United States. Circulation. 2009;119:1108.
- Cholesterol lowering drugs. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=163. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- Guyton JR, et al. Safety considerations with niacin therapy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2007;99:22C.
- Koski RR. Omega-3-acid ethyl esters (Lovaza) for severe hypertriglyceridemia. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2008;33:271.
- Cooking for lower cholesterol. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=515. Accessed April 26, 2010.
- Kodama S, et al. Effect of aerobic exercise training on serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007;167:999.
- Poli A, et al. Non-pharmacological control of plasma cholesterol levels. Nutrition and Metabolism in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2008;18:1.
- Natural medicines in clinical management of hyperlipidemia. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 23, 2010.
- FDA warns consumers to avoid red yeast rice products promoted on internet as treatments for high cholesterol products found to contain unauthorized drug. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm108962.htm. Accessed April 26, 2010.
- Miller M, et al. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. In press. Accessed April 27, 2011.
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