Are there natural cholesterol lowering foods or herbs? The mainstream medical community says that the best solution is a statin drug, while food and supplement manufacturers, as well as alternative practitioners, tell us differently. Who are we supposed to believe?

This may surprise you, but actually everyone is being pretty honest. They just aren’t telling you the whole story.

Statins are naturally occurring substances. The compounds were first found in a penicillin-like fungus and were later found in other fungi. The oyster mushroom, which is used in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisine, contains a relatively large amount of one of the statins.

If you like Asian mushrooms, you are in luck. Many of them, including the increasingly popular shiitake, contain cholesterol-lowering compounds. They help to reduce chronic inflammation in the body and provide immune system support.

Some diet doctors say that you can eat unlimited quantities of Asian mushrooms, but in some people, they can cause nausea and vomiting. Not because of any toxicity, but because some of them, particularly the oyster mushrooms, contain a kind of sugar alcohol that can cause stomach upset.

If you think about mushrooms and know that some of them are poisonous, you will realize that naturally occurring substances are not always safe. Some compounds are safe in smaller amounts, but cause health problems in large amounts.

Most of the natural cholesterol lowering foods or herbs can be eaten without fear. But the statins, even though they are found in edible plants, have unwanted side effects. That is probably due to the large concentration that is present in the drugs, as well as the lack of other compounds that would naturally be present in the food.

Statins interfere with the production of cholesterol within the body. That also interferes with the body’s production of coenzyme Q10, which is an essential antioxidant. If CoQ10 levels within the muscles become depleted, the muscles will die. Natural cholesterol lowering foods or herbs will not interfere with the body’s production of CoQ10.

In addition to the Asian mushrooms, we have rice bran. The bran of any grain is highly nutritious, but in all refined grains, the bran is removed. That’s one reason that the grains, and foods made from them, are white instead of brown.

Rice bran and rice bran oil are included among the natural cholesterol lowering foods or herbs, because they contain compounds that inhibit its production within the liver and because they inhibit its re-absorption through the gut.

Although rice bran oil is popular in Asian cuisine, it is not commonly used for cooking in the US. Luckily, some of the better supplement manufacturers include it in their cholesterol-reducing formulas. Other ingredients might include theaflavin and catechins, which are antioxidants found in camellia sinensis, the common tea plant.

Both green and black teas may help. But it is important not to go overboard, because of the caffeine content.

Go ahead and eat some of the natural cholesterol lowering foods or herbs, if you like. The ones mentioned here are only a few of those that have been studied. You just might find that one of your favorites is on the list.

About the Author

Jackie Leone is a consumer advocate and a dedicated researcher who has been on a search to find the best natural cholesterol balancing supplements available. Visit her website at http://www.lowercholesterolinfo.com to discover what she personally takes and why.