Lipitor or Supplements?
Statins may be effective in lowering cholesterol – but at what cost? With the high price of statin drugs and potentially undesirable side effects, many people have begun looking into supplements as an alternative to lowering cholesterol.
Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, meaning they can’t be manufactured by the human body yet they are essential for good health. Omega-3s lower triglycerides, increase HDL “good” cholesterol, and lower high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week to get your omega-3s, or you can take it as a supplement. One new study by Professor Luigi Tavazzi and Professor Gianni Tognoni , GISSI-HF Coordinating Centre, ANMCO Research Centre, Florence, Italy compared the effectiveness of taking a one-a-day capsule of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to taking statins. The results concluded that taking omega-3 can effectively reduce hospital admission and mortality rate for cardiovascular issues in heart failure patients. Statins, on the other hand, proved to not have any affect in the mortality outcome of patients.
An herbal supplement called red yeast rice has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Red yeast rice contains lovastatin, the same active ingredient as the prescription statin drugs. Made from a rice extract fermented with red yeast, it is shown to significantly lower LDL levels. In a study from the July Mayo Clinic Proceedings, one test group was given prescription statin drugs with written diet and exercise guidelines. A second group was given red yeast rice, omega-3 supplements and in-depth diet, exercise and relaxation counseling. The findings were almost exactly the same, with a drop in LDL levels of 40 percent for each group. Despite these results, red yeast rice may also cause similar side effects as statins due to the same active ingredient lovastatin. Additionally, it is difficult to know the exact quality of red yeast rice because it is not closely regulated by the FDA.
While a lot of attention has been put on lowering LDL levels, research is showing that raising HDL cholesterol is just as important. It is thought that HDL cholesterol picks up excess bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it back to your liver for disposal. Niacin, or vitamin B-3, has long been used to increase HDL levels. Studies show that niacin reduces LDL levels up to 20% and boosts HDL cholesterol by about 35%. Niacin also seems to lower lipoprotein A, which is another risk factor for atherosclerosis. Despite these benefits, niacin may cause flushing and raised blood sugar. It should be taken under the supervision of a health care professional.
Additional supplements that may have cholesterol lowering effects include blond psyllium seed husks, artichoke leaf, soluble fiber, plant sterols, garlic, flaxseed, Metamucil and policosanol to name a few.
Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol? Have you decreased your cholesterol levels? If so, by what means? Have you found that “natural” supplements have helped you establish lower cholesterol levels without side effects? Share your experiences!
27. September 2008 at 5:01 pm :
Can anyone provide some background on clinical trials for new statins? Lipitor and other statins on the market seems to cause a lot of muscle problems for a friend of mine taking them. If anyone knows of anything new or of an alternative therapy that really works, please let us know
Thanks in advance and great blog here!
1. October 2008 at 1:52 pm :
Thanks for the article!