KEY POINTS

  • Having cholesterol in the body is not very welcoming since it can lead to serious ailments
  • Controlling blood cholesterol through proper diet is a must
  • One plant supplement, berberine, is known to fight bad cholesterol

Cholesterol is the waxy substance in the blood. There are two types of cholesterol, namely, LDL or low-density lipoprotein and HDL or high-density lipoprotein.

LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol because too much of it in the blood can clog the arteries. When this happens, oxygen and blood supply to your heart will be cut off, leading to damage in some muscles in your heart. This causes heart disease.

supplements to lower cholesterol levels
supplements to lower cholesterol levels geralt - Pixabay

HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, is also known as “good” cholesterol as it counters the harmful processes caused by bad cholesterol. It does this by absorbing LDL cholesterol and transporting it back to the liver, where it can be ejected out of the body in the form of urine or poop. It can, therefore, be said that HDL cholesterol lowers your risk of developing heart disease.

Reducing LDL Cholesterol

To keep the risk of heart disease at bay, you need to find ways to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and, at the same time, increasing your levels of LDL cholesterol. Studies that examined the benefits of observing particular diets suggest taking some supplements to help attain this balance.

Berberine is a type of supplement that stood out for its ability to lower bad cholesterol. A compound found in many plants, berberine is available in supplement form. Studies have shown it can reduce LDL cholesterol, as well as triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are yet another type of fat found in the bloodstream, which can also clog up the arteries if there is too much of it.

The Studies

In a review of one of the studies which involved humans and animals, berberine has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol levels while increasing HDL cholesterol. A meta-analysis confirmed the findings when it proved that berberine, when combined with changes in lifestyle, works well in treating high cholesterol.

Another study, this time involving hamsters, showed that berberine helps in moving excess cholesterol to the liver where it is processed and then ejected out of the body. Research shows that berberine works through the inhibition of an enzyme referred to as PCSK9. This leads to more bad cholesterol being removed from the blood.