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September 24, 2009
In Today's Issue
- Announcing: Doctor Approved Store Cupboard Remedies that Really Work...
- Cholesterol Lowering Supplements: What Works
- Celebrity Endorsed Weight Loss and Detox System
Announcing: Doctor Approved Store Cupboard Remedies that Really Work...
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Cholesterol Lowering Supplements: What Works
Dear Reader,
Want a natural way to bring down your cholesterol numbers?
Besides watching what you eat, and getting regular exercise, there are a host of dietary supplements that claim to help out. You may have heard about garlic, ginseng or red yeast rice, but just because they work for others, will they do the same to you?
Scientific studies are the way the experts decide if a substance has clinical value. Here's the thinking on the latest crop of cholesterol-lowering supplements.
Artichoke leaf extract - also known as Cynara scolymus is the dried extract of artichoke leaf, now in supplement form.
Evidence from 2000 from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of adults with total cholesterol over 280 found that after 6 weeks bad cholesterol (LDL) levels were down by 23% on average.
The reduction was 6% for the placebo group. The numbers haven't been reproduced in later work, and the most recent trial saw total cholesterol falling by an average 4% among participants, though no impact on either HDL (good) or LDL (bad) cholesterol was observed
The difference could be dosage, as those in the 2000 study took a dose that was 30% larger, and may have been in better health to start.
The verdict? You may get short-term benefits, but for now proceed with caution and talk with your doctor about your supplementing plans.
Fenugreek - A seed that is ground into powder and has been used since the days of ancient Egypt, and now comes in capsule form.
There are studies that date from the 1990s that show in high enough doses this substance can lower total cholesterol and LDL, sometimes rather dramatically.
In one case there was an LDL drop of 38%, though it's important to understand that the studies were small and of poor quality, casting doubt on the claims of benefit.
The thing to know is that the fiber content in fenugreek (from 20-50%) may be the secret behind the cholesterol lowering power of the substance.
Fiber - soluble fiber is found naturally in oats, barley, bran, peas and citrus fruits as well as in supplement form.
Good for the heart, fiber doesn't directly impact cholesterol levels, but in 1999 a team out of Harvard Medical School did a meta analysis of almost 70 clinical trials looking at the effect of soluble fiber on cholesterol.
Lots of soluble fiber was shown to bring a reduction in both LDL and total cholesterol in from 60-70% of the studies examined. Each gram of soluble fiber brought LDL levels down by approximately 2 points.
To get the benefit, the amount of fiber you need to eat is pretty high, about 25 grams a day. According to the Harvard researchers, 3 bowls of oatmeal is good for about 3 grams of soluble fiber.
This is the reason fiber supplements have become so popular, but they can cause gastrointestinal side effects and might even cause problems with some of your prescription medicines. Proceed with care and talk with your own doctor.
Fish oil - heart healthy fatty acids such as EPA and DPA found naturally in fish come in a highly concentrated form in fish oil supplements, usually in capsule form.
In experiments using high doses (3 grams or more), fish oil has been shown to bring down triglyceride levels, a well known part of your total cholesterol number, by from 10-30% - the higher your number, the more effective the supplements.
LDL levels, instead of going down, rise slightly when using fish oil supplements, though the rise is believed to be less damaging to the arteries.
Some experts think that triglycerides are a sign, not a cause of heart disease. Still if you are concerned, talk with your doctor and consider 2-4 grams of fish oil a day.
Those with heart disease should already consider taking in about 1 gram a day of both EPA and DPA according to previous studies.
Garlic - a member of the onion family, it's available in an oil, extract or pill as well as in its natural state.
In a 2000 report on garlic and cardiovascular risk, a small but measurable drop in LDL and total cholesterol was seen, but only in the short term.
Follow up research hasn't been encouraging; even some good quality studies have found that garlic had no discernable effect on cholesterol.
What you need to know is that while garlic might lower LDL temporarily, it probably won't have any meaningful impact on your cholesterol numbers.
Ginseng - an herb native to Asia that's long been a part of eastern medicine and comes today in capsule form.
Research so far is mixed and unconvincing.
A detailed 2005 review conducted by a team out of Harvard Medical School noted that a few studies had seen a helpful effect on one or more of the cholesterol components.
Most research was small and of poor quality, some of the most impressive results coming from a study that was funded by a manufacturer of ginseng products.
There isn't enough information, at present, to support the idea of using ginseng for cholesterol.
Guggul - a tree-resin extract that is a long-standing part of Ayurvedic medicine, this substance contains plant sterols and comes in capsules.
The evidence here is sketchy. Early studies reported drops in total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides of 10% (or more), though the experiments weren't large or well designed.
One of the first well controlled, large trials of guggul in the U.S. in 2003 found no measurable effect on total cholesterol, HDL or triglycerides, and it may even have raised levels of LDL about 5%.
The take home message? More work is needed before guggul's reputation is repaired. Today there isn't enough evidence to justify using guggul to impact your cholesterol.
Niacin - a B vitamin that's naturally found in meat, fish and dairy, though its also available in capsule form.
This nutrient has been known to help lower cholesterol, and large studies from the 1970s have shown that niacin can bring significant decreases in total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides.
It's most effective on HDL, raising these levels by up to 35%. The thing to know is that niacin only has this effect at high doses of 2-3 grams a day, usually given in an extended release prescription.
Your best bet is to talk to your doctor before you do anything. Never take supplements in place of a prescription.
Continues below...
*Highly Recommended*
Cholesterol Lowering Supplements: What Works Continued...
Soy protein - found in soy foods like tofu, edamame and soymilk, you can also find it in powder form.
Ten years ago the U.S. FDA began to allow labels to say soy protein was low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and it could help cut the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL.
Everyone caught on, but research has found that the effect of soy protein on LDL is pretty modest.
In 2006 a review by the American Heart Association found that 50 grams of soy protein a day (two times the amount the FDA says is necessary to reduce the risk of heart disease) brought an average drop in LDL of about 3%, HDL levels didn't go up significantly either.
The thing to know is that while soy protein does lower LDL, it's not a significant effect, and may well have been overstated form the beginning.
Red yeast rice - is a fungus that grows on rice and has small amounts of a naturally occurring form of a statin known as lovastatin, also found in prescription form.
The evidence on red yeast rice is pretty convincing, which makes sense, as this is a low-dose statin.
Studies over the years have shown a reduction in LDL by about 20-30%, compared to the prescription form of the medication.
Recent work has backed these results, a 2009 study of patients who couldn't take prescription statins due to side effects, found red yeast rice capsules lowered total cholesterol numbers by15%, LDL by 21%, compared to 5% and 9% for the placebo group.
While red yeast rice is a potential cholesterol helper, the potency makes some wary. Consumer watchdog groups have found the amounts of helpful lovastatin varied widely in the products on the market today. If you want to give it a try, talk with your doctor, and be sure to investigate natural products and how to by them safely.
To your good health,
Kirsten Whittaker
Daily Health Bulletin Editor
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Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20/
cholesterol.lowering.supplements/index.html?eref=rss_health
Causes of high cholesterol:
http://slideshows.health.com/slide_shows/10249/slides/10626
Info on healthy fats:
http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20189107,00.html
Study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on dietary fiber and cholesterol:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/69/1/30
Study on garlic in Archives of Internal Medicine:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/167/4/346
JAMA study abstract on guggulipid on cholesterol:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/290/6/765
ConsumerLab.com review of red yeast rice supplements:
http://www.consumerlab.com/news/
Red_Yeast_Rice_Supplements_Tests_Comparison_Lovastatin/7_1_2008/
American Heart Association review in journal Circulation on soy protein:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/113/7/1034
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