Lowering Cholesterol, Is Medication The Best Option? - Dr. Lyle

Dr. Lyle:
Statins, as far as medications go, are very important component of lowering cholesterol. They are the drug of choice. They are some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world and they do a very good job of lowering your LDL cholesterol and it can do that in as little as four to six weeks from the time you begin therapy.

There are certainly natural ways to lower your cholesterol. The most obvious is to avoid saturated fats. Where do saturated fats exist? They exist in animal fats such as red meats and dairy products. Avoidance of foods high in saturated fat will help lower your total cholesterol, as well as your LDL cholesterol.

Other ways to naturally lower your cholesterol is to have a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are full of things that we call plant sterols. Plant sterols are a component of vegetables that actually help prevent the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and therefore, lower your overall cholesterol level. That is one of the reasons why folks who are vegetarians actually have low cholesterol profiles. It’s also contributed by the fact that they don’t eat red meat, but it’s the plant sterols that is a component that is often overlooked as an important part to lowering your total cholesterol. Not advocating a vegetarian lifestyle, but it’s just more of an educational point as to why vegetarians have lower cholesterol profile.

Other natural ways to lower your cholesterol obviously include exercise. Exercise will help lower your total cholesterol and at some point it can help raise your good cholesterol. This is something that is difficult to do, but is possible with sustained cardiovascular exercise.

Other natural ways to raise your cholesterol is through a vitamin called niacin. Niacin in high doses, doses much higher than are recommended just for daily intake for vitamin’s value, but in doses high enough niacin can lower your triglyceride level as well as raise your good cholesterol, your HDL. Niacin is the only medication that we have to date that can raise your good cholesterol to 25-30% or more at the appropriate doses.

About Dr. Brian Lyle, M.D.:
Brian Lyle, M.D., obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University and graduated from the MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After medical school he completed an internal medicine residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. and a cardiology fellowship at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn. where he was the chief cardiology fellow. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine and nuclear medicine.

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• High Cholesterol