Cholesterol supplements enable you to halt the buildup of plaque in your arteries thereby helping to fend off potential heart attacks.
Cholesterol supplements are generally considered safe and effective by most health professionals and are available over the counter.
Reducing your cholesterol levels using cholesterol supplements should produce an array of benefits which our panel of experts will discuss below.
17 Benefits Of Cholesterol Supplements
Cholesterol supplements (more accurately, cholesterol lowering supplements) can help you reduce the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your bloodstream, thereby providing the following benefits.
1: Cholesterol supplements can help prevent heart attacks.
When blood flow to the heart becomes restricted due to a buildup of fat and cholesterol inside the coronary artery, the affected part of the heart muscle dies. Doctors refer to this as ‘myocardial infarction’. The rest of us refer to it as a heart attack (1). Starting on cholesterol supplements before any arterial blockage becomes severe can reduce the odds of a person suffering a heart attack.
2: Cholesterol supplements are good for your brain.
High cholesterol can produce blockages in the arteries that feed your brain. This is a very dangerous condition that can greatly increase the risk of stroke (2). Cholesterol supplements – in concert with other efforts like a healthy diet – can, over time, help clear those arteries and decrease the chances a person will suffer a stroke.
3: Cholesterol supplements can help save your memory.
Many stroke victims suffer from a loss of cognitive function, with as many as one third developing memory problems (3). Some will experience annoying lapses in the short term recall. While others will suffer stroke-induced dementia. Cholesterol supplements that help prevent a stroke can also help prevent this type of memory loss.
4: Cholesterol supplements do not leave you waiting for results.
The best cholesterol supplements get right to work lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood. You will not have to wait for months or years to enjoy the benefits. Although, to be sure, some of those benefits will be subtle, and you may not feel them at all. They will appear next time you visit your doctor and have your cholesterol levels checked.
5: Cholesterol supplements can prevent angina.
When the heart does not receive enough oxygen from the blood the pain that results is called ‘angina’ (4). Angina often results from arteries that are clogged by fat and cholesterol, a condition known as atherosclerosis (5). Cholesterol supplements can help prevent atherosclerosis, thereby saving you from the scourge of angina.
6: Cholesterol supplements can help prevent gallstones.
Gallstones typically occur when bile is laden with too much cholesterol. Gallstones (6) can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, jaundice, and, if left untreated, even death. A high fat, high cholesterol diet can make one susceptible to gallstones. Cholesterol supplements and healthy modifications to diet can help reduce the risk.
7: Cholesterol supplements can help your workouts.
A lifetime of exercise can likely prevent atherosclerosis (7). But if you start exercising late in life, your arteries may already be blocked and exercise alone may not clear them out. Cholesterol supplements and a healthy diet can help. They will put more blood in your veins, which will mean more oxygen to your muscles during workouts. The enhanced exercise will further reduce atherosclerosis, and a healthy upward spiral will be set in motion.
8: Cholesterol supplements may help reduce your risk of cancer.
When people think cholesterol, they typically think heart attack or stroke. And for good reason. However, research indicates that cholesterol metabolism may play a role in the development of colon, prostate, and testicular cancer (8). That is a disturbing thought. But the good news is that cholesterol supplements can help you bring things under control and reduce the risk.
9: Cholesterol supplements produce even better results if you exercise too.
The danger of cholesterol is in its tendency to adhere to the inside of veins and arteries and impede blood flow. This effect is magnified if a person leads a largely sedentary lifestyle. While cholesterol supplements can help most people lower their cholesterol levels, they become even more effective if you couple them with vigorous exercise. This will help clear cholesterol plaque out of the veins (9).
10: Cholesterol supplements can help you fight off a cold.
At least, the ones that contain garlic may have that ability. Garlic has a noticeable effect on immune system function, and studies indicate garlic supplements can actually reduce how often people catch a cold (10). If you do get a cold, garlic can often reduce the severity of symptoms and the length of time you feel under the weather.
11: Cholesterol supplements can ensure proper blood flow to the legs.
Too much cholesterol in the blood can cause the veins of the legs to become restricted. The end result of this restricted blood flow is weakness, numbness, and pain in the lower legs and feet. This can severely restrict mobility, which, in turn, will have other adverse effects on overall health. Cholesterol supplements can help ensure this does not happen.
12: Cholesterol supplements can reduce blood pressure.
Lower blood pressure is yet another potential benefit of garlic supplementation (11). And since so many cholesterol supplements use garlic as their central ingredient, it is fair to say that the same garlic that is good for your cholesterol is also good for your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is normal, garlic can help keep it that way. If it’s high, garlic can help lower it.
13: Cholesterol supplements may help you live longer.
Certainly, if you reduce your risk of a heart attack and reduce your risk of stroke, you increase the likelihood of living a longer, healthier life. Of course, there are no guarantees. But by using cholesterol supplements to help reduce these risks, you could potentially be adding years to your life.
14: Cholesterol supplements can be good for your skin.
Most of the damage done to a person’s skin over time can be traced to the activity of free radicals (12). These unbalanced compounds produce oxidative stress that destroys healthy cells. The only known enemy of the free radical is the antioxidant (13). And it just so happens that garlic is rich in antioxidants.
15: Cholesterol supplements often contain red yeast rice.
Why is that a big deal? Because red yeast rice contains low levels of monacolin K, a proven cholesterol fighter (14) that is chemically identical to the active ingredient used in the prescription cholesterol-reducing drug lovastatin. The amount of monacolin K present in OTC cholesterol supplements is pretty modest, however. If it was not, the FDA would require a prescription, which leads to our next point.
16: Cholesterol supplements do not require a prescription.
Most things that produce a significant physiological benefit require a prescription. Cholesterol supplements like those on our list, do not. They are widely available in health food stores, supermarkets, drug stores, and online. Which means there is no excuse for not using them to help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health problems.
17: Cholesterol supplements are affordable.
Cholesterol supplements typically cost just pennies per day. Compare that to the expense of recovering from a heart attack or stroke, or having to be under a doctor’s care for years because of cholesterol-induced problems. That assumes, of course, that a person recovers from a heart attack or stroke. 10% do not (15). And many survivors experience serious long-term disability.
Conclusion
Lowering your cholesterol level can help prevent heart attacks, enable more effective workouts, help prevent gallstones and bolster your immune system, among other things. Perhaps best of all they do not require a prescription. If you are interested in achieving a higher degree of overall health, consider taking cholesterol supplements.