There are many different treatment options for high cholesterol including that of medications as well as different lifestyle changes and alternative treatments through the use of natural herbs and more.
Before considering taking cholesterol medications which may induce some side effects in many patients, it may be wise to consider other cholesterol treatment options such as lifestyle changes in the form of quitting smoking, monitoring your diet more than before, in addition to regular exercise and other activities.
High Cholesterol Treatment Diet
When considering a better diet, the cholesterol lowering foods include the obvious choices of low fat foods and the avoidance of red meats and dessert type foods such as pastries.
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Many of these types of foods can induce high cholesterol as a result of damage to the artery walls due to high blood pressure in addition to risk of diabetes due to insulin resistance from too much sugar intake. Diabetes can cause LDL levels to increase while decreasing HDL.
Moderate amounts of alcohol can do the opposite as studies have shown that one to two drinks per day can increase HDL and lower LDL levels in men as one drink per day can help do the same in women.
How to Treat High Cholesterol Naturally
As for alternative treatments, some of the options available include taking fish oil and niacin supplements, consuming more fish and omega-3 fatty acids. Try putting more garlic, soy, turmeric and fiber in your diet in addition to the famous cholesterol lowering food, red yeast rice.
High cholesterol medications include several different categories such as statins, bile acid sequestrants, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, as well as a combination of the absorption inhibitor and statins.
High Cholesterol Medications
Statins (Lipitor, Altoprev, Zocor, Crestor, Mevacor) are more frequently prescribed cholesterol lowering medications. These types of cholesterol medications cause the liver to stop producing cholesterol creating a deficiency and therefore causing the liver to absorb cholesterol from the blood stream. This is caused by the cholesterol drug’s ability to block a substance used by the liver in the production of cholesterol.
Bile acid sequestrants (Questran, Colestid, Welchol) literally bind to bile acids which the liver uses in order to aid in digestion. Ultimately what happens here is the bile acid sequestrant attaches to the bile acid and becomes an insoluble form which is eventually excreted.
This loss of bile acid causes the liver to have to find more cholesterol in the body in order to produce more bile acid thus lowering cholesterol through putting it to use.
As for cholesterol absorption inhibitors such as Zetia, this type of cholesterol medication simply inhibits the absorption of cholesterol through the small intestine where it normally would go into the bloodstream. Cholesterol absorption inhibitors and statins are often combined together (Vytorin).
Conclusion
Basically, this would seem to be quite an effective solution to a high cholesterol treatment need as the statin blocks a substance needed to produce cholesterol in the liver while blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine thus lowering one’s cholesterol levels overall.
There are many solid options for individuals with high cholesterol and we do recommend that you first speak with your medical professional about the best high cholesterol treatment option that best fits your own body’s individual needs.
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