Your diet doesn't impact your cholesterol levels as much as

you think it does.

It doesn't increase it as much as you've been led to believe

and it certainly doesn't help to lower cholesterol like the so-

called diet experts tell you.

It's not that extra egg you have for breakfast that raises

your cholesterol appreciably. This is because around 80% of

your blood cholesterol is manufactured by your liver.

To lower cholesterol levels, you must both slow down the

manufacture of cholesterol, and reduce the oxidation of LDL

while raising your HDL.

Apart from normal, sensible lifestyle improvements such as

better nutrition and more exercise, there are a couple of

proven strategies to return lower cholesterol to its optimal

level.

Option 1: Prescription Drugs

A range of drugs known as "statins" are widely used in the

U.S. and other Western countries. In fact, they are currently

the most prescribed medicine in the world.

These drugs work by blocking an enzyme that the liver

needs for the manufacture of cholesterol. They have been

proven effective in reducing levels of LDL, but unfortunately

they will not raise levels of HDL (the good cholesterol).

The downside is that there are a large number of negative

side effects such as liver damage, fatigue, upset stomach,

abdominal pains and cramps, gas and constipation, and, in

the case of a statin drug called Baycol, a large numbers of

deaths.

An investigation into the side effect of statin drugs is being

conducted by the National Institutes of Health.

Discuss the pros and cons of this medication very carefully

with your physician in the event that a statin drug is

prescribed to you.

There Is Another Treatment Very Beneficial With Only

Positive Effects...

Option 2: Natural Treatments

Even though the general public hears very little about them,

there are effective natural alternatives to lowering one's

cholesterol, and such therapies exhibit no side effects.

The fascinating aspect of some of these natural options is

that some of the natural ingredients being used have been

proven to consistently lower cholesterol and significantly

outperform the statin drugs in dozens of double-blind

placebo-controlled clinical trials and studies.

And with no negative side effects! (The only side effect

reported was weight loss.)

What You Really Need To Lower Cholesterol:

Two key ingredients to look for in any natural cholesterol

product used to effectively lower cholesterol are policosanol

and guggulipid extract.

Policosanol is an extract from sugar cane wax and has been

the subject of multiple clinical trials, all of which have

outperformed the statins.

Guggulipid, on the other hand, is an ancient herb from India

extracted from the guggul tree.

Studies have shown an interesting added benefit from

guggulipid: it has been more effective than prescription

tetracycline when used orally for treating nodulocystic acne.

It also assists in the lowering of triglycerides and weight

loss.

What You Need To Know In Order To Lower Cholesterol:

With all of these benefits, it would seem that finding any

natural formula containing these two ingredients is a sure

bet.

But take caution; there are many products currently on the

market claiming to use policosanol to lower cholesterol, but

are in fact using octacosanol, which is an incomplete form of

policosanol.

Octacosanol does not exhibit the same results as true

policosanol in clinical trials.

Any product formulated to lower cholesterol must be

manufactured at a pharmaceutical GMP compliant facility

and its ingredients verified with a certificate of analysis to

confirm the potency.

This is very important because studies completed by private

and government institutions have shown that consumers

only have a 1 in 5 chance of actually buying a product, to

lower cholesterol, with the actual amount of ingredients

stated on the label, or one that isn't contaminated.

Only one company, providing solutions to lower cholesterol,

has the strictest regulatory environments in the world for

the manufacture of dietary supplements, far exceeding U.S.

FDA standards.

For more information on how to lower your cholesterol,

please visit:

http://www.man-health-fitness-solutions.com/lower-cholesterol.html