There are many alternative treatments that claim to lower cholesterol. Before you try any, talk to your doctor. Few natural products have been proven in scientific studies to lower cholesterol, but some might be helpful. Either way, it’s important to ask your doctor if a supplement or alternative remedy could affect other medications you're taking or cause side effects.
Are There Any OTC Cholesterol Medications?
There are herbal and nutritional supplements that may help to lower cholesterol. But there are no medications available for this purpose without a prescription.
Supplements are products that are meant to be additions to your diet, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs. They help you to get more of certain nutrients. Even though they may come in the form of pills, capsules, or liquids, as medicine does, the FDA does not approve them as treatments for disease.
Drugs are products specifically created to help diagnose, treat, cure, and prevent disease. They can change how your body works. They must meet FDA standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness before they can be sold.
Cholesterol Supplements
Some of the herbal and nutritional supplements that may help lower cholesterol include:
Garlic. Some studies show that garlic may lower total cholesterol in your blood by a few percentage points, but the effect lasts only in the short term. Other studies suggest it may not be as helpful as once thought. Garlic may prolong bleeding and blood clotting time, so you shouldn’t take garlic or garlic supplements before surgery or with blood-thinning drugs such as Coumadin. It can also have side effects such as bad breath, body odor, nausea and vomiting.
Fiber.Taking a supplement to help you get enough daily fiber can help lower your overall cholesterol level and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. But not all fiber supplements have these effects. Research shows that supplements with psyllium (found in Metamucil and other products) can help. This type of fiber forms a gel that changes your digestion and helps your body clear bad cholesterol from your blood.
Fiber supplements containing methylcellulose (Citrucel), inulin (Fiber-Choice, Metamucil Clear), and wheat dextran (Benefiber), don't seem to have the same cholesterol-lowering powers. If you take a fiber supplement, increase the amount you take slowly. This can help prevent gas and cramping. It’s also important to drink enough liquids.
Whey protein.You can get this milk-based protein from dairy products. You can take it as a supplement, too, typically in a powder form that you can add to drinks or soft foods.
Studies suggest that whey protein supplements can lower LDL and total cholesterol. If your doctor gives you the go-ahead to try one, choose a supplement that lists whey protein as its only ingredient, so you avoid things like added sugar.
Phytosterols (plant sterols and stanols).These are natural compounds found in small amounts in whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and oils. They lower LDL cholesterol, mostly by mimicking cholesterol in your digestive tract and reducing the amount of cholesterol your intestine absorbs. They’re also available as supplements in pill form. Taken at doses of about 2 grams per day, they can help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 5% to 15%.
Red yeast rice. This is a fermented rice that contains a fungus that can naturally produce substances known as monacolins. One type, monacolin K, is identical to the cholesterol-lowering statin drug lovastatin. Studies show that red yeast rice with high amounts of these substances can lower cholesterol. But since the FDA classifies them as drugs, supplements with those levels are not allowed in the United States. It's not known if red yeast rice supplements or foods with lower levels of monacolin K lower cholesterol.
Tests of supplements show that some contain much less monacolin K than the label claims, while others have much more. In some products, manufacturers add commercial monacolin K. This means you can’t trust the quality or safety of these supplements.
Other supplements. Several supplements studied for reducing cholesterol turn out to be ineffective. These include chromium, vitamin C, artichoke extract, the herb Hibiscus sabdariffa, coenzyme Q10, and selenium. There’s also no solid evidence that policosanol (from sugar cane) or guggulipid (from the mukul myrrh tree in India) help.
When you buy supplements, always read the label and look for certification from a third party. These organizations, such as NSF Certified for Sport, the U.S. Pharmacopeia, and ConsumerLab.com, check supplements to make sure they contain listed ingredients and don't contain contaminants.
Dietary Approaches to Lowering Cholesterol
When you eat more fiber, soy, healthy fats, and plant compounds called stanols and sterols, you can lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.
Fiber. Only plant foods (vegetables, fruits, legumes, unrefined grains) have dietary fiber. The soluble fiber in foods like oat bran, barley, psyllium seeds, flaxseed meal, apples, citrus fruits, lentils, and beans are particularly effective at lowering total and LDL cholesterol.
Nuts. Ones like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios can reduce cholesterol. According to the FDA, eating a handful (1.5 ounces) of walnuts every day can lower your chances of getting heart disease. You can replace foods high in saturated fats with nuts. They are a good source of fiber and healthy fats.
Soybeans. Studies show that replacing other proteins with soybeans or soy protein lowers the risk of coronary heart disease by lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Soy protein is found in tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soy yogurt, edamame, soy nuts, and many other soy foods.
Phytosterols. While the amounts in food alone aren’t usually enough to lower cholesterol significantly, including phytosterol-rich foods in your diet can support cholesterol management, especially when combined with supplements or fortified products.
Omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids won’t directly lower your bad cholesterol, but they can protect your heart since they increase good HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides, a harmful blood fat.
Omega-3 fatty acids slow the rate at which the liver makes triglycerides. Omega-3 fatty acids also have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, decrease the growth of plaque in the arteries, and aid in thinning blood.
Aim for at least two servings of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and sardines per week. A couple of other foods with omega-3 fatty acids are flaxseed and walnuts. Supplement sources include fish oil capsules, flaxseed, and flaxseed oil. If you’re considering taking omega-3 fatty acids, first ask your doctor if these supplements are right for you, especially if you’re taking blood-thinning medication.
Dietary fiber, nuts, soybeans, and phytosterols each have different ways of lowering cholesterol levels. Enjoy them with fruits and vegetables, and cut back on saturated fats.
Avoid Artificial Trans Fats
When doctors talk about unhealthy fats, one type stands out: artificial trans fats. Food manufacturers create these fats, and they can build up in your bloodstream. They raise bad LDL cholesterol, lower good HDL cholesterol, and increase your risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks, and strokes.
While small amounts of natural trans fat are in animal foods, such as milk and meat, the biggest concern is about the artificial kinds.
For many years, trans fats were a big part of the U.S. food supply, showing up in all sorts of processed foods, from margarine to french fries, in the form of partially hydrogenated oils. These are oils that become solid at room temperature. Today, the FDA says these oils are no longer "generally recognized as safe," basically banning trans fats in processed foods.
But there's a catch: Food manufacturers can still get away with including some trans fat if it amounts to less than half a gram per serving. That means trans fats still show up in some products, including some pies, pie crusts, cookie doughs, frostings, spreads, and fried foods.
Those small amounts can add up, especially if you eat bigger servings or a lot of different foods with the fats. Your best defense is to check ingredient lists on food labels. If it lists partially hydrogenated oil, it contains trans fats.
There's no healthy amount of trans fat to eat, so doctors say you should avoid it as much as possible.
Exercise, Mind-Body Practices, and Other Lifestyle Changes
Regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart pumping, can help raise your levels of good HDL cholesterol. Choose an activity you like, such as walking, swimming, or dancing, and try to do it most days. To get the biggest benefits, build more movement into your whole day. Don't sit too much.
Combining your aerobic exercise with some strength training, like lifting weights and doing push-ups, may help improve your cholesterol numbers even more. Aim for at least two sessions each week.
In addition, you might improve your cholesterol levels and heart health with practices including:
- Yoga
- Tai chi
- Meditation
If you have a health condition, ask your doctor before starting any new form of exercise. If you are new to a practice like yoga, It’s also important to work with an experienced instructor to lower your chances of getting injured.
Anything that helps you relieve stress might help you manage cholesterol levels. That's because stress triggers hormone changes that can raise levels.
Cutting out smoking and limiting alcohol also can help.
When changes in your diet and lifestyle are not enough to get your cholesterol numbers in a healthy range, talk to your doctor about taking cholesterol-lowering medications. You may need a combination of medication and a healthier lifestyle to get the best results.
