Supplements to Help Lower Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is an organic molecule that is naturally found in the blood and predominantly produced in the liver, but of course it is also found in foods such as cheese and red meat. Cholesterol is important when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle but raised cholesterol could lead to problems such a coronary heart disease. One of the most important antioxidants in your body is coenzyme Q10 which is known for its role in heart health and can stop bad cholesterol’s ability to stick to blood vessels.
Typically, people who have high cholesterol often take medications to lower it as well as medication for high blood pressure since the two tend to link. Surprisingly, some of these medications can deplete the powerful antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10, as they can interfere with the body’s natural metabolic pathway. Most of these drugs that deplete CoQ10 are the popular cholesterol drugs called statins such as Lovastatin (Mevacor) and Atorvastatin (Lipitor). This happens because statins are used to block the enzyme (HMG-CoA) in the mevalonate pathway and that controls the production of cholesterol and so when this happens, unfortunately this is the same pathway where CoQ10 is produced too, hence depletion of the antioxidant. Of course, this is preventable by taking supplements to help balance out the medications. CoQ10 can be taken as a supplement that remains compliant with your medication and has many great benefits for treating and preventing heart failure.
Supplements in general can be taken to reduce cholesterol levels. A popular supplement for lowering cholesterol is Bergamot Bioactive Polyphenolic (BPF) which is one that we carry here at Pharmacy Solutions. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a citrus plant that grows almost exclusively in the narrow coastal Calabria region in southern Italy. The local population there quickly discovered bergamot extract could be used to help support healthy cholesterol levels and optimize cardiovascular wellness. BPF contains powerful cholesterol-balancing properties that maintain healthy cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose. It contains a variety of phenolic compounds that inhibit inflammatory processes as well as helping with arterial elasticity and decreasing arterial risk factors. BPF helps maintain CoQ10 levels as well which is beneficial to those who have the deficiency. Another popular supplement is fish oil. Fish oil contains essential omega 3- fatty acids such as (Eicosapentaenoic acid) EPA, and (docosahexaenoic acid) DHA. These fatty acids are known to reduce triglycerides, reduce heart failure and stroke and even maintain brain health. So when choosing a fish oil it is better to get one that has the highest dose for EPA and DHA. Call Pharmacy Solutions to find out which supplement is best for you!
