high cholesterol

Has anyone tried lowering cholesterol with natural formulas listed on I Herb, and if so did they work? Not wanting to take Lipitor or the like so am researching. Red rice yeast is a possible but is a statin. Thanks John

Hi John,

I lowered mine by following the diet recommendations for my blood type.
www.dadamo.com
From 7.7 to 4.7 and my HDL went up too although it was high to begin with...can't remember the figures for that just now.

Joyce

Hi John, I've never tried this but have seen it reccomended [www.loweringcholesterol.net]

Adrian

Adrian - a few years ago,I believe it was, I posted the following about the efficacy of policosanol...

Not long ago, Policosanol (PC) was a hot natural product claimed to be a solution to lowering cholesterol… and it’s still being included in natural cholesterol-lowering supplements.

The claims were made that this product made from Cuban sugar-cane derived policosanol lowered cholesterol effectively and safely. Problem was, it didn’t work.

I recently received a catalog of pricey designer nutritional supplements and was surprised to see PC was included in the ingredient list of a lipid-lowering product.

In Dr.Alan R. Gaby’s Review of the Literature (November 2008 issue/Townsend letter), he reports that ” a number of clinical trials conducted by a single research group in Cuba reported PC lowered cholesterol as well as a statin.

Multiple attempts to replicate that research were unsuccessful. Seven double-blind trials have now been reported…
2 from the US, 2 from Italy, one each from Canada, Germany and South Africa and in no case did PC reduce serum cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients.

He says: The consistent inability of researchers around the world to confirm the original studies makes one wonder whether the research from Cuba was fabricated. The available evidence strongly suggests PC is useless for treating high cholesterol.”

Studies referenced:
Francini-Pesenti, F etal..
Effect of sugar cane policosanol on lipid profile in primary hypercholesterolemia. Phytother Res 2008:22:318-311.
Francini-Pesenti, F et al. Sugar cane policosanol failed to lower plasma cholesterol in primitive, diet-resistant hypercholesterolemia: A double-blind, controlled study. Complemt Ther Med 2008; 16:61-65

So if you are looking at a natural cholesterol-lowering product and they have included policosanol, choose another…no sense paying for something that doesn’t work.

===
Other natural products said to be effective for cholesterol lowering are the plant sterols - Beta sitosterol. Some think the no-flush niacin works and others like Sytrinol.

Jackie

Thank you Jackie for correcting my misconception. I did not know that. I would hate to recommend something that is ineffective or a ripoff. Just goes to show that the internet is full of misinformation and one needs to be aware/careful when using it.

Did you get that john policosanol bad. Diet change good.

Me stop talking now

Adrian