Cholesterol Health

Keep your Cholesterol on the Right Track

Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a major factor in achieving overall good health. A waxy, fat-like substance that is present in cells throughout the body, cholesterol is necessary to produce a number of hormones, vitamin D and acids that help digest fat. However, unhealthy cholesterol levels can lead to a number of serious health problems, among them:

• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke

Lifestyle Changes & Supplements Can Help

Even if you have a family history of coronary artery disease and a genetic predisposition toward elevated cholesterol levels, you can make lifestyle changes that can go a long way toward helping to keep your cholesterol levels in a healthy range:

• Get regular exercise to raise good cholesterol levels.
• Modify your diet to eliminate fried foods and fatty animal products, which contain saturated fat, hydrogenated fat and cholesterol.
• Found in cold water fish and flax seed, essential fatty acids (EFAs) have been shown to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
• Try supplementing with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a vitamin-like nutrient found in cells. Studies show that CoQ10 supports healthy cholesterol levels.
• Policosanol, a substance derived from the stems of sugar cane, also appears to raise healthy HDL cholesterol levels.
• Properties in green tea have also been shown to support healthy cholesterol levels.
• Red yeast rice contains fiber, rice starch and fatty acids, as well as monacolin and mevinolin, which may provide natural benefits for cholesterol health. Red yeast rice may lower CoQ10 levels (similar to statin cholesterol-lowering drugs). It is recommended that you consume at least 100 mg per day of CoQ10 supplementation when taking red yeast rice.