Chris Daino asked:


It has been known for years that increased levels of niacin in the blood stream is a very effective way of reducing cholesterol levels without the need of additional drugs. Numerous medical and university studies have shown that niacin lowers overall cholesterol levels.

These studies show that niacin reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) by 10-20%, reduces triglycerides (fat in the blood) by 20-50% and raises the good cholesterol (HDL) by 15 to 35%.

Niacin accomplishes these changes naturally in the following ways:

1) It reduces the breakdown of fat from fat cells which is the source of raw material used by the liver to create excess triglyceriedes.

2) It inhibits the liver from converting sugar to triglycerides.

3) It inhibits the liver from creating the building blocks of the bad cholesterol (VLDL) and thus as a result the bad cholesterol drops naturally.

4) Virtually every study done on niacin has shown it to increase good cholesterol and which then picks up the excess bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it back to your liver for disposal. The higher the good cholesterol, the less bad cholesterol you’ll have in your blood.

In a study called the “Coronary Drug Project” which ran for 6 years and included 3908 patients to study the effects of niacin besides lowering both triglycerides and cholesterol levels there were other astonishing results:

The study found that the use of niacin led to a 14% reduction in non fatal heart attack, a 26% reduction in damage to blood vessels in the brain (stroke or blockage) and a 47% reduction in the need for coronary artery bypass surgery.

Unfortunately, the use of niacin to bring down cholesterol levels never became popular due to the high amounts of niacin needed, which created side effects due to “niacin flush”. (Niacin cannot be confused with niacinaide or nictoinamide which does not cause flushing and does not lower cholesterol levels).

Jb Anthony asked:


Cholesterol is commonly known as the lipid or fatty substance in animal tissue and fat. Some types of cholesterol are actually healthy and good for the body. They help the body perform various vital functions like aiding in fat digestion, building and maintaining cell membranes, hormone synthesis, and manufacturing Vitamin D. Since they are important to the body, we will only have to lower cholesterol naturally, so we do not have too much or too less of it.

Our body has the natural ability to produce dietary cholesterol. However, we also get them from the food we eat such as dairy products, eggs, and meat. The body can manufacture two types of cholesterol-LDL, the bad cholesterol, and HDL, the good cholesterol.

Having too much cholesterol in our body can lead to our veins and arteries being clogged up, and we will be in danger of contracting health problems like obesity and cardiovascular ailments.

- Bring Out the Ashtray

Cigarettes and cigarette smoke are dangerous to one’s health, more so to those people who already have high levels of cholesterol. Cigarette and its smoke contain compounds that can oxidize cholesterol, which is dangerous. Smokers will need more antioxidants like B Complex vitamins nicotinic acid and nicotinamide to reduce their cravings for nicotine. It can not only lower cholesterol naturally, but it can also save your lungs from cancer.

- Diet Watch

Needless to say that since we get cholesterol from food, we therefore need to watch our diet and the food we eat.

Most doctors and nutritionists would recommend five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, or a diet of 2/3 fruits and vegetables and 1/3 of all others. These fat-free alternatives are better for your health than processed snacks are.

Foods that help lower LDL and increase HDL levels at the same time are almonds, avocados, beans, chili peppers, fish, flax seed, garlic, oat bran, olive oil, onions, shiitake mushrooms.

- Exercise

Exercising is like hitting not just two but several birds with one stone. It is a no-cost solution to almost every problem like stress, depression, and obesity. Exercise promotes good health and physical fitness, which contributes a lot to keeping anyone in tune with the events of every day life.

If you exercise daily for even just a few minutes, it can already increase high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL) in your body. HDLs are known as good cholesterol. Along with a raised HDL level, you metabolic rate also increases, which makes you lose weight and shed off all those extra cholesterol.

- Try Red Yeast Rice

Statin drugs can already be made out of red yeast rice. Therefore, why not take it in its natural, chemical-free state. Red yeast rice stops cholesterol reaction from moving forward, slowing it down until it lowers.

If you want to lower cholesterol naturally, you will have to be prepared for a lot of hard work and discipline. Even if you take prescription drugs, you will still need to be proactive to aid the process. You might as well do it the cheap and healthier way as mentioned above. Doctors, physicians, and nutritionists can help you in this area.