Cholesterol-lowering vitamins are used to lower “bad” or LDL cholesterol levels. Even in normal health or when you do vigorous exercise, an excess of free radicals is produced which are potentially very harmful to your body.
These free radicals can elevate bad cholesterol and even cause cancer. Vitamins have the ability to lower cholesterol by neutralizing the free radicals produced continuously in your body.
Cholesterol vitamins are exceedingly recommended as a high level of “bad” or LDL cholesterol is considered to be the best “marker” for potential heart disease which affects millions of Americans nowadays.
Vitamins to lower cholesterol are an excellent alternative to conventional medicines since they are loaded with significant side effects on your health, particularly in case of long-term use. Therefore, it is recommended that you get your cholesterol levels regularly checked and if you have high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, regular use of vitamins that lower cholesterol is recommended irrespective of your age.
Some cholesterol-lowering vitamins are vitamin C, Vitamin B3, Calcium, policosanol, etc.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or “ascorbic acid” is an excellent vitamin famous for its powerful antioxidant properties. The regular use of vitamin C will protect you from free radicals being produced regularly especially when you do vigorous exercise. Free radicals have many ill-health effects including raising your bad cholesterol and even cancer.
Adding vitamin C to your diet protects you and keeps free radicals within minimal limits. It raises your good or HDL cholesterol and lowers your bad or LDL cholesterol. Many people are unaware that they need their HDL cholesterol to be at upper limits because it is very healthy for you as it lowers your “bad” cholesterol very effectively.
Vitamin C provides both these advantages. Vitamin C, once taken orally also helps in the uptake and absorption of other vitamins and minerals in your gut. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamin C or you can have some nutritional supplement containing vitamin C in a proportion required by your body on daily basis.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Niacin or “nicotinic acid” is another very famous vitamin known for its miraculous cholesterol-lowering properties. It belongs to water-soluble B vitamins and has many health benefits including converting carbohydrates into energy and keeping your nervous system, digestive system, skin, and eyes healthy.
But niacin can do wonders for you as far as its cholesterol-lowering properties are concerned. It has been proven that Niacin can lower LDL cholesterol by 15-25%, lower triglyceride by 20-50% and raise your good or HDL cholesterol by 15-30%. Though its mechanism of action is still elusive, it has been suggested to lower the amount of LDL and VLDL cholesterol made by the liver.
Calcium
Calcium is known for its cholesterol-lowering properties. It has been observed that people living in areas with hard water tend to have a low incidence of heart attacks and other heart problems and calcium is suggested by many to be one reason for this.
Though its exact mechanism of action is still unknown, it is commonly believed that in your gut it binds to cholesterol and bile acids similar to the way fibers work. By binding a significant proportion of cholesterol in the gut, less cholesterol is available for your body to absorb as cholesterol in binding form leaves your body in feces.
High levels of cholesterol can damage particularly your circulatory system by irritating the walls of blood vessels and causing harmful inflammatory changes. It is commonly believed that cholesterol-lowering vitamins may help in preventing some of such damage to the inner lining of blood vessels caused by high levels of “bad” or LDL cholesterol.
Many important nutrients like Coenzyme Q10, Guggulipid, Policosanol, and other such natural products are often added in vitamins and natural diet supplement formulas. Such combinations are the ones that will help you dramatically lower your bad cholesterol levels without causing harmful side effects.
Policosanol for example is a natural extract of plant waxes like sugar cane, beeswax, and yams and is included in natural nutritional supplements intended to lower your “bad” or LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL or “good” cholesterol.
Many cholesterol-lowering vitamin formulas are available. Click here to check out a cholesterol-lowering vitamins product review.
