Effectiveness and Safety of Cholesterol Lowering Dietary Supplements

Heart disease is the Number 1 global cause of death accounting for 17 million deaths per year. Almost 1 in 3 American adults have high cholesterol which is widely recognized as a risk factor for heart disease and is a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Dyslipidemia is the medical term for the elevation of lipids (e.g., triglycerides, cholesterol, and fat phospholipids in the blood) and is a major factor in cardiovascular disease. The standard medical treatment for dyslipidemia is lipid-lowering therapy. Typical drugs prescribed for treatment are referred to as statins and have side effects that are an issue for many people. LDL-C is the primary target for cholesterol lowering therapy as it is believed to be the major cause of atherosclerosis which is plaque buildup inside your arteries. Naturally derived dietary supplements have been utilized as an alternative therapy to lower blood levels of total cholesterol (TC), improve the balance between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; "bad cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C; "good cholesterol"), and lower triglycerides (TG). However, there is no "magical" supplement that can replace regular exercise, healthy lifestyle choices, and a healthy, balanced diet to improve cholesterol levels. This book provides a review of the most promising dietary supplements that can be used for cholesterol control. This includes recent articles summarizing the results of clinical studies and expert opinions of the International Lipid Expert Panel, a multi-disciplinary group of worldwide experts focused on education and management of atherosclerosis, lipid disorders, and their resulting complications. Each chapter of this book covers an individual dietary supplement and concisely summarizes the following information from the available scientific data: -What is it?-Effectiveness and Recommended Dose-How does it work?-Safety Concerns and Upper Limits-Interactions with medications-ReferencesThe book concludes with a summary of the supplements reviewed and a recommended plan for utilizing dietary supplements for lowering cholesterol. As the author has high cholesterol, a personal perspective is also presented along with experience with dietary supplements that have proven to be effective.