What's a supplement that lowers cholesterol?

[DGA3]

Is there anything out there?

I know that fish oil helps, especially by lowering triglycerides, and proper nutrition and exercise help increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

What helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol?

 

[3clipseGT]

Is there anything out there?

I know that fish oil helps, especially by lowering triglycerides, and proper nutrition and exercise help increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

What helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol?

Check out heart health by iForce.

 

[stankyleg]

Niacin

 

[Ev52]

Pistachio's

 

[ryansm]

Look into Toco-8 as well, Complete Vitamin E - Natural source of Tocotrienols for hair loss, cardiovascular health, and testosterone production. Can give you 25% off

Proven to help reduce cholesterol while improving the HDL : LDL ratio ​

 

[Loudy Rowdy]

Check out heart health by iForce.

Thank you sir... Heart Health is very new and I cant wait to make it a staple of mine. My father had his first heart attack when he was 35 (Im 37) so lowering triglycerides and increase HDL is very f*cking important to me...

From iForceNutrition.com website:

The Active Ingredient In Heart Help (Bergamonte) was found to provide the following Clinically Proven results:
26.53% Reduction in Cholesterol
40.1% Increase in HDL(Good Cholesterol)
36% Reduction in LDL(Bad Cholesterol)
38.8% Reduction in Triglycerides
22.3% Reduction in Blood Sugar

Hope this helps DGA3!!!

 

[baldwanus]

Check out heart health by iForce.

Thank you sir... Heart Health is very new and I cant wait to make it a staple of mine. My father had his first heart attack when he was 35 (Im 37) so lowering triglycerides and increase HDL is very f*cking important to me...

From iForceNutrition.com website:

The Active Ingredient In Heart Help (Bergamonte) was found to provide the following Clinically Proven results:
26.53% Reduction in Cholesterol
40.1% Increase in HDL(Good Cholesterol)
36% Reduction in LDL(Bad Cholesterol)
38.8% Reduction in Triglycerides
22.3% Reduction in Blood Sugar

Hope this helps DGA3!!!

what these guys said.....however, the products name is Heart HELP, not Heart Health

Hopefully we'll be able to see some Heart Help combo's from NP in teh future

 

[3clipseGT]

what these guys said.....however, the products name is Heart HELP, not Heart Health

Hopefully we'll be able to see some Heart Help combo's from NP in teh future

Crap, my bad lol.

 

[criticalbench]

Niacin

Niacin causes me to ITCH like nuts to the point i have to burn my legs in the shower to stop it.. lol i tried several times.

Heart Help is def a solid option; it will be replacing my zocor in my next pct.

 

[DGA3]

Thank you sir... Heart Health is very new and I cant wait to make it a staple of mine. My father had his first heart attack when he was 35 (Im 37) so lowering triglycerides and increase HDL is very f*cking important to me...

From iForceNutrition.com website:

The Active Ingredient In Heart Help (Bergamonte) was found to provide the following Clinically Proven results:
26.53% Reduction in Cholesterol
40.1% Increase in HDL(Good Cholesterol)
36% Reduction in LDL(Bad Cholesterol)
38.8% Reduction in Triglycerides
22.3% Reduction in Blood Sugar

Hope this helps DGA3!!!

Wow. That looks great.

Thanks!

 

[DGA3]

Look into Toco-8 as well, Complete Vitamin E - Natural source of Tocotrienols for hair loss, cardiovascular health, and testosterone production. Can give you 25% off

Proven to help reduce cholesterol while improving the HDL : LDL ratio ​

I had already considered this - for possible hair growth, too!

PM on the way.

 

[OrganicShadow]

CLA, conjugated lineolic acid, is a tranfatty acid that could help. Its a bit of a double edge sword as it lowers all levels of a lipid profile. So you could reduce cholesterol and LDL but potentially loose some HDL as well

 

[tnubs]

red yeast rice & policosanol. they are also cheap. like a months worth for like $4

 

[JN230]

Seems Im the last one to get in here from the team, but you MUST check out Heart Help

http://www.nutraplanet.com/product/iforce-nutrition/heart-help-60-capsules.html

 

[stankyleg]

Niacin causes me to ITCH like nuts to the point i have to burn my legs in the shower to stop it.. lol i tried several times.

Heart Help is def a solid option; it will be replacing my zocor in my next pct.

I get the same thing over 125mg. I always take it before bed now. I might be going nuts in my sleep and dont even know it.

 

[nattydisaster]

Time released niacin from walmart

 

[VaughnTrue]

Heart Help = best heart/cholesterol supplement available.


It also helps lower blood sugar which means less fat!

 

[thesinner]

Niacin causes me to ITCH like nuts to the point i have to burn my legs in the shower to stop it.. lol i tried several times.

Heart Help is def a solid option; it will be replacing my zocor in my next pct.

Take with food and/or use a flush-free version (Inositol Hexanicotinate). Oftentimes, unless you are megadosing it (which is horrible for your liver!), a tall glass of water is all it takes to be a few minutes away from mitigating the niacin flush.

To the OP, do you consume alcohol on a regular basis, frequently use tylenol, or are on and off with 17-α-alkylated steroids/prohormones? If you have health problems or concerns regarding cholestrol, it's best to discuss this with your doctor, if you haven't done so already. Your doc has your medical records (oh yeah, and a doctorate of medicine degree) and can probably provide you with a more specific solution to your problem better than the barrage of small supplement company reps dancing with shameless product plugs (guilty). If you've done this, and you can't take certain meds because for undisclosed reasons, it's tough to say the safety of a supplement (which hasn't been under the same deal of scrutiny by the FDA as a prescription). For example, if you can't take statins (e.g. Lipitor), it's probably not a good idea to be taking red yeast rice, whose activity is derived from naturally occuring statins that incur the same side effects which prevent you from taking the prescribed statins.

 

[hyperCat]

Take with food and/or use a flush-free version (Inositol Hexanicotinate).

I read where the flush-free niacin doesn't help with cholesterol - but I'm not sure.

I usually take 500mg of regular niacin every morning with my protein shake - I like the "skin burn" I get from it. My neck and face turn red and gets real hot feeling... actually, I'm not sure why I like that feeling, but I do :veryhappy:

 

[thesinner]

I read where the flush-free niacin doesn't help with cholesterol - but I'm not sure.

I usually take 500mg of regular niacin every morning with my protein shake - I like the "skin burn" I get from it. My neck and face turn red and gets real hot feeling... actually, I'm not sure why I like that feeling, but I do :veryhappy:

To be honest, I kinda like it too. It also helps sleep aid medications kick in faster, making it ideal for night time, when you go to bed. Just be careful, taking large amounts of niacin and getting that nasty flush can put a lot of stress on the liver.

The flush free version is inconclusive, but I don't believe it is something heavily studied since there's not a lot of money in a supplement you can buy for $5 at Wal-Mart. Drug companies do most of this funding for this sort of research, and there's not much point in giving away millions to university researchers only to shoot yourself in the foot with the findings. The science behind it is that the niacin is bound to inositol via esterification, which allows for a gradual release into the bloodstream. Regular niacin is free nicotinic acid, which when it spikes in your bloodstream, triggers a histamine release... thus creating the flush/rash. The flush is arbitrary to the cholesterol affects; however, you still need a certain blood level to get it to happen. If it's not breaking off the inositol molecule before it gets removed by the kidney and you piss it away, then you are probably not taking enough.

 

[3clipseGT]

I was under the impression red yeast rice no longer contains the natural statins.

 

[VaughnTrue]

^^^ correct. RYR will do nothing to lower cholesterol at this point unfortunately

 

[thesinner]

I was under the impression red yeast rice no longer contains the natural statins.

.... where did they go?

I've never seen a YRY label that was actually standardized for statin content, although it's never been a product that's interested me.

I'm merely wondering if the popularity has lead to rapid cultivation, leading to an inferior product over the years or if the FDA stepped in and mandated that the statins be removed from the supplement.

 

[DGA3]

To the OP, do you consume alcohol on a regular basis, frequently use tylenol, or are on and off with 17-α-alkylated steroids/prohormones? If you have health problems or concerns regarding cholestrol, it's best to discuss this with your doctor, if you haven't done so already. Your doc has your medical records (oh yeah, and a doctorate of medicine degree) and can probably provide you with a more specific solution to your problem better than the barrage of small supplement company reps dancing with shameless product plugs (guilty). If you've done this, and you can't take certain meds because for undisclosed reasons, it's tough to say the safety of a supplement (which hasn't been under the same deal of scrutiny by the FDA as a prescription). For example, if you can't take statins (e.g. Lipitor), it's probably not a good idea to be taking red yeast rice, whose activity is derived from naturally occuring statins that incur the same side effects which prevent you from taking the prescribed statins.

Alcohol = Bud Light on the weekends
Tylenol (or any painkiller) = rarely
Steroids/PHs = nope

Last fall my doc ran some bloodwork, and it was good news/bad news:

LDL = 169/high (bad news)
HDL = 71/very high (good news)
Triglycerides = 39/very low (good news)

Because I am in great physical condition, exercise a lot, eat healthy, and have no family history of heart/stroke problems, my doc said there was no need to rush to drugs (statins) to lower my LDL. We're going to check my cholesterol again in the spring and see where it's at.

In the meantime, I've done some research, and one new way to look at cholesterol is not to worry so much about the overall (total) number, but more importantly, the ratio of good to bad. If that's true, I am in great shape because of my very high HDL levels.

Great advice in your post, though. I appreciate the information and concern for my health!

Thanks!

 

[JudoJosh]

Is there anything out there?

I know that fish oil helps, especially by lowering triglycerides, and proper nutrition and exercise help increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

What helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol?

You have bloodwork that shows you have elevated LDL already?

 

[DGA3]

You have bloodwork that shows you have elevated LDL already?

By "already," you probably assume that I'm in my 20's or 30's, like most of the members around here.

Nope! :cool2:

I'm 54 and have working out for over 30 years. I've been in three bodybuilding competition in the early 90's, and still love hitting the gym 3 times a week (legs, chest/back, arms/shoulders), especially through the winter, when I can't play golf.

My father is 80, very active (golf, yard work), and has no health problems. Normal cholesterol even though he eats eggs, meat, refined carbs, etc.

My mom is 79 and also in good health. She does take a statin for cholesterol, but is also very active - especially with friends/social life.

So yes - I have elevated LDL - at least when we checked last fall. As I also noted, my good cholesterol is very high, and my triglycerides are very low, so overall, my doc does not want to mess with any drugs/statins right now. We're going to check it again later this year and see where we're at.

 

[R1balla]

Sure supplements will help, but main point is diet.

 

[JudoJosh]

By "already," you probably assume that I'm in my 20's or 30's, like most of the members around here.

Nope! :cool2:

no by already I meant already. I was asking how do you know your LDL is elevated. Sometimes with a OTC product (such as niacin and others) people might just assume their cholesterol is high (usually because they have a diet of meat and are under the belief dietary cholesterol impacts serum cholesterol) and want to take something as a preemptive measure and think, "hey this is over the counter so should be fine to take." This is why I asked.

So yes - I have elevated LDL - at least when we checked last fall. As I also noted, my good cholesterol is very high, and my triglycerides are very low, so overall, my doc does not want to mess with any drugs/statins right now. We're going to check it again later this year and see where we're at.

So I assume your doctor had the typical bloodwork done and the way he gets the number for LDL is based on a formula and it is not a actual measurement. If you are concerned than ask your doctor for a VAP and NMR Lipoprofile test. They will give you an actual measurement of LDL and their particle size.

Typically if you have high LDL combined with low trig than usually the majority of your LDL are the larger particles which are harmless. So if your LDL is dominated by the larger particles (which is probably your case considering your trig count) than I wouldnt worry too much about the LDLs.

 

[criticalbench]

no by already I meant already. I was asking how do you know your LDL is elevated. Sometimes with a OTC product (such as niacin and others) people might just assume their cholesterol is high (usually because they have a diet of meat and are under the belief dietary cholesterol impacts serum cholesterol) and want to take something as a preemptive measure and think, "hey this is over the counter so should be fine to take." This is why I asked.

So I assume your doctor had the typical bloodwork done and the way he gets the number for LDL is based on a formula and it is not a actual measurement. If you are concerned than ask your doctor for a VAP and NMR Lipoprofile test. They will give you an actual measurement of LDL and their particle size.

Typically if you have high LDL combined with low trig than usually the majority of your LDL are the larger particles which are harmless. So if your LDL is dominated by the larger particles (which is probably your case considering your trig count) than I wouldnt worry too much about the LDLs.

Def good advice bro!

 

[thesinner]

Thanks for the reply back.

This changes the tone (from my perspective) from "I have a sudden urge to fix my cholesterol levels through pills I can get without a doctor's prescription" to "A trip to the doctor opened up my eyes to cholesterol levels, and I want to take preventative measures".

My initial thoughts were seeking alternatives to Lipitor (or other meds) due either ability to afford the medication or stress on the liver. Daily consumption of alcohol or tylenol (i.e. acetaminophen) or (of course) steroids would be inidcators of the latter. Now it's clear you are just trying to take better care of yourself.

My mother has a similar scenario. Her LDL is low, triglycerides are low, but HDL and total cholesterol are high. Her doctor recommended 3500mg to 4000mg of fish oil per day. It might be possible to improve your lipids through dietary measures. I don't know what you are eating right now. One little tidbit is that there is a well-known correlation between cholesterosl and insulin. While they were still trendy and new in the early 2000's, there were a few studies which found low-carb diets provided lower cholesterol than conventional (low-fat) diets. I don't have any data regarding the rate, but perhaps that's not really important since studies were done on people with a little weight to lose and may not carry over to an adult at a healthy weight.

I'd also like to point out that Honey Nut Cheerios recieved a cease and desist order from the FDA a few years back regarding their claims for how it reduces cholesterol. One of those stories that pop up on the home page news feed that you just can't help but remember!

Alcohol = Bud Light on the weekends
Tylenol (or any painkiller) = rarely
Steroids/PHs = nope

Last fall my doc ran some bloodwork, and it was good news/bad news:

LDL = 169/high (bad news)
HDL = 71/very high (good news)
Triglycerides = 39/very low (good news)

Because I am in great physical condition, exercise a lot, eat healthy, and have no family history of heart/stroke problems, my doc said there was no need to rush to drugs (statins) to lower my LDL. We're going to check my cholesterol again in the spring and see where it's at.

In the meantime, I've done some research, and one new way to look at cholesterol is not to worry so much about the overall (total) number, but more importantly, the ratio of good to bad. If that's true, I am in great shape because of my very high HDL levels.

Great advice in your post, though. I appreciate the information and concern for my health!

Thanks!

 

[DGA3]

Thanks for the reply back.

This changes the tone (from my perspective) from "I have a sudden urge to fix my cholesterol levels through pills I can get without a doctor's prescription" to "A trip to the doctor opened up my eyes to cholesterol levels, and I want to take preventative measures".

My initial thoughts were seeking alternatives to Lipitor (or other meds) due either ability to afford the medication or stress on the liver. Daily consumption of alcohol or tylenol (i.e. acetaminophen) or (of course) steroids would be inidcators of the latter. Now it's clear you are just trying to take better care of yourself.

You are very perceptive - well done!

I am only trying to take preventative measures in a mild way to try and lower my LDL levels before the next time my cholesterol is checked. Nothing drastic or no serious reason to suddenly fix everything.

I'm just - as you said - trying to take better care of myself.

 

[DGA3]

So I assume your doctor had the typical bloodwork done and the way he gets the number for LDL is based on a formula and it is not a actual measurement. If you are concerned than ask your doctor for a VAP and NMR Lipoprofile test. They will give you an actual measurement of LDL and their particle size.

Typically if you have high LDL combined with low trig than usually the majority of your LDL are the larger particles which are harmless. So if your LDL is dominated by the larger particles (which is probably your case considering your trig count) than I wouldnt worry too much about the LDLs.

I think I should print this out and take it with me next time so I'll know what to ask for.

Thanks for the expert advice!

 

[SuppJunkie]

red yeast rice & policosanol. they are also cheap. like a months worth for like $4

This is what I was going to say. Just be careful with the Red Yeast Rice, I took it for a really long time and it slightly raised my liver enzyme levels. It works like a mild statin..

But it def brought the numbers down for me a lot, esp the first time I used them..SJ

 

[fightbackhxc]

Cocoa helps I believe

 

[EasyEJL]

Last fall my doc ran some bloodwork, and it was good news/bad news:

LDL = 169/high (bad news)
HDL = 71/very high (good news)
Triglycerides = 39/very low (good news)

Because I am in great physical condition, exercise a lot, eat healthy, and have no family history of heart/stroke problems, my doc said there was no need to rush to drugs (statins) to lower my LDL. We're going to check my cholesterol again in the spring and see where it's at.

In the meantime, I've done some research, and one new way to look at cholesterol is not to worry so much about the overall (total) number, but more importantly, the ratio of good to bad. If that's true, I am in great shape because of my very high HDL levels.

yep, that is true, so you are in good shape. You have to also look at whether LDL was measured or just caclulated as there are some potential issues with whether it really is high or not given it being calculated. In all the research studies once you read the whole way through them, high cholesterol alone without high triglycerides hasn't been shown to be a factor in heart disease/strokes. With high triglycerides, sure

 

[DGA3]

. . . high cholesterol alone without high triglycerides hasn't been shown to be a factor in heart disease/strokes.

Yahoo!

Thanks for the update.

 

[srblan]

My doctor said to take an aspirin with niacin to reduce flushing. It feels like an allergic reaction to me, so I have taken a Benadryl with it and had good luck preventing flushing.

 

[Whacked]

Good stuff Judo

To add to that, low carb diets seems to help all facets of problematic lipid level issues.

Here:
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/faq/f/carbcholesterol.htm

no by already I meant already. I was asking how do you know your LDL is elevated. Sometimes with a OTC product (such as niacin and others) people might just assume their cholesterol is high (usually because they have a diet of meat and are under the belief dietary cholesterol impacts serum cholesterol) and want to take something as a preemptive measure and think, "hey this is over the counter so should be fine to take." This is why I asked.



So I assume your doctor had the typical bloodwork done and the way he gets the number for LDL is based on a formula and it is not a actual measurement. If you are concerned than ask your doctor for a VAP and NMR Lipoprofile test. They will give you an actual measurement of LDL and their particle size.

Typically if you have high LDL combined with low trig than usually the majority of your LDL are the larger particles which are harmless. So if your LDL is dominated by the larger particles (which is probably your case considering your trig count) than I wouldnt worry too much about the LDLs.

 

[OrganicShadow]

Those levels may alter based on the last thing you ate. Obviously a fasted blood draw is going to be a bit more accurate. That LDL isnt so bad considering your HDL is good. Individual numbers are one way to look at it but comprehensively lipid panels are ratios. Another example is thyroid panels; T3 Uptake doesnt mean much without TSH and TT4.

In your case:
Cholesterol = HDL+LDL+VLDL = 71+169+39 = 279 = Very high cholesterol
CHOL/HDL = 279/71 = 3.93 <---<4.5 is acceptable, shoot for 2-3 range
LDL/HDL = 169/71 = 2.38 <--- Thats pretty good, but not perfect

My initial though it something about diet. Im sure age is starting to play a role and I dont know how your work/family life are. Sometimes its genetic. These results arent alarming but adjustments could be made.

 

[criticalbench]

Sure supplements will help, but main point is diet.

Diet is always first try.. but that doesn't work for everyone.

 

[DGA3]

I don't know if it would make a difference, but the night before, I had an "all you can eat" fried fish dinner with a few beers.

Had an appointment with my Doc the following morning for some poison ivy, and while I was there, he decided to go ahead and do a blood draw because it had been a while since my last one.

Hadn't planned on it, and surely wouldn't have eaten in the manner I did the night before!

 

[criticalbench]

I don't know if it would make a difference, but the night before, I had an "all you can eat" fried fish dinner with a few beers.

Had an appointment with my Doc the following morning for some poison ivy, and while I was there, he decided to go ahead and do a blood draw because it had been a while since my last one.

Hadn't planned on it, and surely wouldn't have eaten in the manner I did the night before!

Meals the day before can affect blood work from what i always was told. Usually they say 8 hours prior, but a LARGE meal can carry effects longer.

 

[DonnieM]

Bumping a 4 year old thread!
Any new products/ingredients to lower cholesterol? Bergamonte(bergamot?) still good?

 

[kboxer7]

A good, cheap & healthy strategy is to take a fiber supplement prior to any fatty/cholesterol containing meals.

 

[Jiigzz]

Bumping a 4 year old thread!
Any new products/ingredients to lower cholesterol? Bergamonte(bergamot?) still good?

Depends in what your total cholesterol is and total triglycerides are. A range between 200-220 is associated with lower all cause mortality (correlated) but when trigs are high (overweight or high carbohydrate diet) then you have potential for negative interaction.

Id get my LDL-p looked at

 

[warbird01]

I have run Cycle Assist+lots of fiber for years now and it's done miracles for my cholesterol. Actually gonna go get it checked again this week so will report back.

 

[Daycrawler]

Cycle assist and Nimbus Nutrition Cadence