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Natural Cholesterol Support As our culture grows more health conscious, many of us are becoming concerned about our blood cholesterol levels. Exercise, maintaining your appropriate body weight and a healthy diet are important tools to keeping your cholesterol levels within a healthy range. Medically, there is "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). Your total cholesterol score is made up of combining the numbers for both and should be below 200. Your HDL score should be at least 35; the higher the score, the better for your health. Those of us with cholesterol levels within the safe range should pay attention to our life-styles in order to maintain our good health. However, some of us may need extra help getting our total cholesterol levels down. The following are offered as an introduction to natural remedies that can help alleviate cholesterol concerns. Oat Bran -- While a high-fiber diet is a healthy choice for everyone, oat bran holds particular promise for those working to lower their cholesterol. The water-soluble fiber available in oat bran inhibits the creation of LDL cholesterol and encourages the production of HDL cholesterol. Psyllium -- Psyllium seeds, often recommended for their laxative effect, are high in fiber and easy to add to your diet. Psyllium seed husks can be added to your favorite breakfast juice for a quick fiber boost that can help lower blood cholesterol levels. Flaxseeds -- Flaxseed oil contains essential fatty acids (EFAs) including the omega-3 fatty acid that lowers cholesterol. Ground flaxseeds are also a terrific way to add fiber to your diet. Garlic -- One of the easiest ways to treat high cholesterol is by eating more garlic. Studies indicate that garlic interferes with the release of cholesterol in the liver thereby lowering LDL levels and raising HDL levels. If the idea of eating more raw garlic gives you pause; you can supplement your diet with garlic in pill or capsule form. Lecithin -- Lecithin is one of the most potent cholesterol lowering tools. While lecithin is available from animal sources - most notably in eggs that aren't cooked hard - vegetable sources seem to deliver it in a form that is more accessible to our bodies. Lecithin is readily available in soybeans so adding soy products to your diet is an easy way to increase your lecithin intake. It is also abundant in breastmilk leading researchers to believe that this contributes to the healthy cholesterol levels in children who were breastfed as infants. Niacin -- Niacin, one of the B vitamins, raises HDL levels while lowering LDL levels. However, niacin must be taken in doses 200 times the level of the recommended daily allowance to work. Given the good results most people have using niacin supplements, it's worth talking to your health care practitioner about adding them to your diet. Remember that natural remedies are powerful and should be treated with respect and common sense. It's important to discuss any treatment you might undertake with your health care practitioner especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or under treatment for a chronic health condition. Article by Dawn Friedman Copyright (c) 2001 by Stony Mountain Botanicals, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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