Reduce Cholesterol Naturally

Science and research bring us exciting discoveries in terms of natural solutions to build better health. If your cholesterol numbers are not in the healthy range and are looking for natural ways to lower cholesterol, you might want to look at the research on plant sterols and stanols that help lower cholesterol naturally.

Cholesterol is a big risk factor in developing heart disease. It is important to know ‘your numbers’ because there’s a lot you can do to impact having healthy total cholesterol number.

Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance that occurs naturally in your body. It is an essential part of your cell membranes and used to both create and repair cells.

The cholesterol in your body comes from two sources: your body makes it and you eat it. You can control the cholesterol you eat if you know what foods have unhealthy cholesterol – and then stay away from them.

Eating fatty meats and high fat dairy products gives the body more cholesterol than is needed. When there’s too much of it in the blood, it is likely to be deposited in our arteries and later turn in to plaque that causes heart blockage.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports over 80 million adults in the U.S. have unhealthy cholesterol levels. That’s 1/3 of Americans. Many adolescents also have unhealthy cholesterol numbers. Doctors are discussing ways to lower cholesterol with their patients.

In August, 2010, the Annals of Internal Medicine stated that people who have high cholesterol in their 20’s are more likely to have signs of heart disease by the time they reach their 40’s.

New research is showing that high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels are also associated with vision loss, Alzheimers disease and dementia. People with high cholesterol levels in their 40’s may have a higher risk of developing dementia.

These are scary statistics. But the good news is that science, research and clinical studies have proven that we can do better. There are lifestyle choices that can help us build better health.

Diet is important. When you cut down on high cholesterol foods such as trans fats and saturated fats and increase lean meat and fish plus more foods with fiber, it will help your cholesterol levels.

Daily exercise is important to your overall good health and is recommended for a heart healthy activity because even 30 minutes per day can help lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol numbers.

Recent research has discovered the benefits of plant sterols and stanols that work in the body by preventing absorption of cholesterol that leads to heart disease. To get the numbers of these compounds found naturally in the cell walls of plants, in order to reduce cholesterol naturally, you would have to eat a huge amount of fruits, vegetables and grains every day which adds up to a lot of calories.

The most effective way to consume the 2000 mg of sterols and stanols you need each day is to take them in a gluten-free supplement form. You should expect results in 4 ot 6 weeks and should have your cholesterol levels checked at that time.

There are no significant side effects of supplement sterols and stanols. They are highly effective even if you are already on a heart healthy diet, and safe to use with statin drugs. Your doctor should monitor your blood levels of cholesterol since the dose of meds you take may need adjusted when natural cholesterol reducing sterols and stanols are also lowering your overall cholesterol numbers.

Lowering your cholesterol by 10% reduces your risk for heart disease. Clinical studies show that taking plant sterols to lower cholesterol daily can help lower your overall cholesterol number 5 to 15%.

How to Lower Cholesterol

To learn more about cholesterol, this audio presentation gives a thorough explanation of cholesterol and how it affects your health:

Cholesterol 101

To see a natural way to lower cholesterol, click this link:

Shaklee Cholesterol Reduction Complex

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