Cholesterol Reducing Vitamins and Drugs
A heart disease does not happen in an instant—it can slowly occur as a person ages. One of the factors that raise the risk of heart disease is an extremely high cholesterol level. Do you want to have a healthy life over your years? Then it is best to lessen your cholesterol level as early as you can so that you can attain your goal and prevent serious health problems in the future.
These days, various medications such as cholesterol reducing vitamins and drugs are available on the market. These drugs are intended to reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Classified into different types, the most well-known type of cholesterol-lowering drugs are “statins” (HMG-CoA Inhibitors). To date, statins are popular as the most effective drugs that can lower cholesterol levels. Statins have also helped a lot of people who seriously need to cut down cholesterol levels in their bodies. How do statins work? They can block the HMG-CoA enzyme, which helps turn fat into cholesterol.
Cholesterol reducing vitamins and drugs such as bile acid sequestrants combine with the bile that comes from the human liver. Bile helps in digesting food and absorbing fats in the intestines. And bile acid sequestrants stop bile acid from digesting fats, thus preventing cholesterol from forming.
Certain vitamins can also aid in reducing cholesterol levels in the body, the most popular of which is niacin or vitamin B3. One of the eight B-vitamins that are water soluble, niacin helps the body turn carbohydrates into glucose, which supplies energy for the body. In addition, niacin aids in eliminating toxic substances in the body. Equally important are the B vitamins that break down body fats and proteins. Aside from that, the B vitamins maintain the good health of the eyes, skin, mouth, hair, nervous system, and liver.
Studies have shown that niacin can boost the effects of other cholesterol reducing vitamins and drugs. That is possible only if this B vitamin is used in large amounts. However, people must be careful with consuming large amounts of niacin to reduce their cholesterol levels. Taking in large doses of niacin can result in flushing of the skin because of dilating blood vessels. This can also cause other side effects including headaches, itching, muscle cramps, and nausea.
Vitamins C and E, as well as lecithin, are the other known cholesterol-lowering vitamins. Vitamins C and E help lower the risk of heart disease by keeping the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol from getting damaged. Even though LDL cholesterol is also considered a bad type of cholesterol, many cardiologists think that only damaged LDL cholesterol can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. On the other hand, lecithin helps lower cholesterol levels by enabling the dispersal of cholesterol and fats from the body. As a result, lecithin prevents accumulation of fats in the arteries.
If you want to live for a long time without worrying about developing heart diseases, then the best thing you can do is to take cholesterol reducing vitamins and drugs. Do your heart and body a favor by lowering your cholesterol levels as soon as possible.