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High cholesterol levels
There is a strong history of heart disease in my family and I have now been told my cholesterol level is very high. I’ve had my homocysteine levels checked and they are normal. I am loathe to take cholesterol-lowering drugs so what can you suggest, aside from garlic?
Most of the cholesterol in your body - over 80% - is not from the diet but is produced by your own liver, so you need an agent that will reduce this production without damaging that organ. The herb that does this is a Chinese one called Red Yeast (Hong Qu).
In clinical trials across America, it has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels by almost 23% in just eight weeks. The Wang Study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, recruited over 500 patients. In the control group, volunteers who had been given a placebo supplement reduced their cholesterol levels too, but only by 7%.
Red Yeast extract is now available here in a new combination supplement called Cholesterol Defence, which also includes heart-protecting garlic, circulation-boosting ginkgo biloba, hawthorn berry, horsechestnut, the anti-stress B vitamins, and the antioxidant vitamins C and E.
It also contains choline, an amino acid that will work to break down bad fats and stop the build-up of cholesterol and substances called trimethylglycines (TMGs), which also work to deactivate harmful substances in the body, including homocysteine (high levels of which, as you know, can increase the risk of heart disease).
*Cholesterol Defence costs £15.95 for 60 capsules and is available only from Victoria Health on 0800-413596. Take two capsules daily.