Cholesterol reducing

A Safe, Effective Alternative to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

If you have high cholesterol or know someone who has high cholesterol, keep reading, because this newsletter is for you. In the well-respected American Heart Journal, a study was recently published on a nutrient known as policosanol. Policosanol is an exciting and fascinating nutrient derived from sugar cane wax whose main component is octacosanol. This nutrient has been shown to lower cholesterol, not only in animals, but also in healthy volunteers and in patients with high cholesterol.

In the American Heart Journal paper, the authors reviewed the literature regarding well-designed lipid-lowering studies using this nutrient that were published in peer reviewed journals. The investigators also reviewed studies investigating the mechanism of its action.

So what are the results?

At doses of 10 mg to 20 mg a day, policosanol lowered total cholesterol anywhere from 17% to 21%, specifically lowering the bad cholesterol (LDL) anywhere from 21% to 29% and raising the good cholesterol (HDL) by 8% to 15%. Equally exciting is that the study noted daily doses of 10 mg of policosanol seemed to be as effective in lowering total or LDL cholesterol as the same dose of simvastatin (Zocor) or pravaststatin (Pravachol).

At doses up to 20 mg a day, policosanol was safe and well tolerated in studies lasting more than three years. Policosanol was noted to have additional beneficial properties such as effects on smooth muscle proliferation, platelet aggregation and LDL peroxidation. The authors concluded that policosanol seemed to be a very promising phytochemical alternative to classic lipid lowering agent, such as the statins, and deserves further evaluation.

It is critical for you to understand that your total cholesterol is not the number to focus on but rather the ratio of your good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL). In fact, studies indicate that if your total cholesterol is too low (below 150), your death risk actually increases.

Cholesterol is your friend and you would die without it. It protects the cells and forms many essential hormones in the body. It is also important for you to understand that bad cholesterol (LDL) is not really bad until it becomes oxidized by a free radical. This is why it is so important to consume antioxidants such as green tea, grape seed, vitamin C, etc. that protect the LDL from oxidation.

Your goal should be to improve your cholesterol ratio by lowering your LDL and increasing your HDL; the ideal ratio is 3 or lower (every point your ratio increases doubles your rate of heart disease).

Policosanol’s Helpers

Standardised gugulipid comes from the mukul myrrh tree which is native to India. Several clinical trials have noted that gugulipid can lower both total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Gugulipid can actually have a comparable effect on lowering both cholesterol and triglycerides as that compared to lipid lowering drugs. However, unlike the potential toxicity from the statin products, gugulipid has no known side effects.

Another great policosanol helper is chromium, which helps insulin metabolise fat, turn protein into muscle and convert sugar into energy. Chromium-activated insulin increases the amount of blood sugar available for energy production nearly twenty-fold. A recent study indicated that chromium reduces LDL cholesterol levels by 14% and increased HDL cholesterol levels by 7%. In an even more dramatic study, a combination of grape seed extract and chromium reduced bad (LDL) cholesterol by 20% in individuals when compared to a placebo.

Reduce Statin Drugs’ Toxicity

Perhaps your doctor is in the process of convincing you to start taking one of the many statin drugs and you are having some reservations about this, knowing the potential side effects. If you do choose a statin drug, make sure you take at least 60 - 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 (EnQ10 is an excellent product) each day with it. The statin drugs can potentially cause muscle and nerve damage. It has been proven that statin drugs lower your coenzyme Q10 levels and by doing this, deprive your cells of this essential nutrient, putting your muscle and nerve cells at risk.

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