Lowering Cholesterol Naturally Without Statins

Are you part of the sizable number of Americans today who take statins or cholesterol-lowering drugs? Here is information you should never ignore: medications like statin drugs deplete your coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) reserves. CoQ10 is produced in the same pathway that statins work to lower cholesterol. This makes CoQ10 supplementation while on statins highly necessary.

However, you probably do not need statins at all, unless you have a genetic defect called familial hypercholesterolemia, which makes you resistant to traditional markers of measuring cholesterol. You are better off with natural ways of optimizing cholesterol.

Safely, Naturally, and Effectively Managing Cholesterol

It is vital that you understand the mechanism of action of statins if you are taking them or planning to. They usually work by reducing an enzyme in your liver, which reduces your production of cholesterol and CoQ10 at the same time.

If you are over age 40, you are highly recommended to take ubiquinol, the reduced form of coenzyme Q10. It is absorbed far more effectively by your body.

Probably the most urgent step to take is to naturally optimize your cholesterol, so that you can be spared from statins and the over 900 documented side effects that they have.

There are simply and basic strategies that can assist you in regulating your cholesterol. For starters, though, you must understand that simply lowering your dietary cholesterol intake is simply not effective. This is because 75 percent of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which your insulin levels influence. If you optimize your insulin levels, you therefore regulate your cholesterol as well.

Among the most profoundly influential ways to do so is regular exercise and playing close attention to your diet. Foods that increase your insulin also have a share in high cholesterol, because it makes your liver produce more.

Here are main recommendations for safely lowering and regulating your cholesterol:

1. Exercise regularly.
2. Reduce and eventually eliminate grains and sugars from your diet.
3. Eat according to your nutritional type.
4. Eat a good portion of your food raw.
5. Ensure that you are getting plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats, preferably from krill oil.
6. Avoid excessive alcohol and smoking.
7. Address your emotional challenges.

On CoQ10 Supplementation

If you decide to continue taking statins, you should also take a high-quality CoQ10 supplement, which is taken by about 53 percent of Americans today (according to a 2012 Consumer Lab survey).

CoQ10 is the fifth most popular supplement in the United States. To get the beneficial form, though, your body must be able to convert CoQ10 to ubiquinol, which makes you absorb CoQ10 that is already in the active state your body needs. Ubiquinol has been widely touted more effective than CoQ10, with research showing that it may actually provide far superior CoQ10 benefits.

CoQ10 can be found in certain dietary sources. These include fish, organ meats (heart, liver, and kidney), and whole grain germs. However, you must know that food concentrations are not well-documented, which means it will be difficult for you to gauge how much of the nutrient you can get from food alone. Therapeutic levels of CoQ10 may then be difficult to achieve from food alone.

If you are below age 25, your system is able to convert CoQ10 from the oxidized to the reduced form. It is more and more unable, though, to convert the oxidized CoQ10 to ubiquinol as you get older. Other factors are at play in this conversion process.

So, again, if you are past 40, it is best to take ubiquinol.

There have been no documented side effects of CoQ10 supplementation, with overdose almost unheard of in scientific literature. And if you are taking ubiquinol, here is some cost-saving information: there is a patent on it, which means every brand has to buy from the sole company. Choose a reputable, trustworthy company for your CoQ10/ubiquinol formula.

Betina Loyola is a health blogger who pays special attention to natural supplementation. She has always promoted CoQ10 benefits on her blog, as well as factors to consider in choosing the best supplement formula out there.