Unless you have a genetic condition known a familial hypercholesterolemia (FH for short) where the liver continually pumps large amounts of cholesterol into a person's blood stream the chances are very good that you can substantially lower blood cholesterol levels naturally.

Ideas abound about how to lower your cholesterol. Some suggest statin prescription medications such as Crestor and Lipitor are the answer, but pundits voice their concerns about dropping cholesterol levels too low. Statins also produce muscle pain along with a number of other side effects which these same pundits are quick to point out. But ultimately when used a tool which is part of a larger tool kit statins can be a very effective option. On the other hand when they are used as a sledge hammer to drive cholesterol down many feel they are somewhat ineffective if not dangerous.

Some of the risk factors for high cholesterol that you should be aware of are smoking, diabetes, being as little as 20 percent overweight, and inactivity. Cholesterol levels increase as people age and are generally higher in men than in women, although levels increase in women after menopause.

But while there are varying opinions as to how to lower cholesterol what is for sure is that the above risk factors can make your blood cholesterol levels bounce around like a lottery ball during a Saturday night drawing. While this may be the case one there is one way to lower cholesterol that works well for almost everyone, and that is diet modification.

Studies show that diet alone can reduce bad cholesterol by over 30 percent in a two to three week period.

In order to achieve these stellar results you must learn the difference in fats and then become an expert label reader to make sure that you are not being mislead by cleaver or confusing labeling. The good guys when learning how to lower cholesterol are monounsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil) and polyunsaturated fats (fish) including the very beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. The bad guys are saturated fats. Saturated fats increase cholesterol levels more than any other fats. In many ways they are the person you can easily fall in love with only to find out they have a checkered past. Foods high in saturated fats are some of our favorites including meats, non-skim dairy products (milk, cheese, butter), processed meats (bologna, salami), coconuts, palm oil, and artificially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

How to lower your cholesterol through diet is a fairly simple equation. By combining your new found knowledge of saturated fat with a large dose of willpower you will be poised to produce excellent results in a short period of time. Many natural health minded individuals are finding that by adding natural cholesterol reducing remedies to this equation they are able to achieve even better results. Certainly everyone is different, and working with your doctor to find the best solution for your unique set of circumstances is always a good idea.



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