These Three Dietary Supplements Can Lower LDL (“bad”) Cholesterol Levels

Phytosterols are plant extracts that keep some cholesterol from being absorbed from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. That’s probably why so many supplements (and a few margarines, like Benecol) contain them. Taking 2 grams (2,000 mg) of phytosterols a day lowers LDL by about 8 percent; 3½ grams lowers LDL by about 12 percent. Phytosterols even lower LDL in people who are taking statins, as well as in vegetarians and vegans. What to look for: Some labels list phytosterols as plant sterols or stanols. Oth­ers use brand names like Reducol, CardioAid, or Cholestatin. Red yeast rice Red yeast rice contains small amounts of nat­urally occurring statin-like compounds. In four good studies, LDL cholesterol dropped by an average of 20 percent in people who took 1,200 to 3,600 milligrams a day of red yeast rice for two to six months. But watch out!  According to consumerlab.com (an independent laboratory that analyzes supplements), only three of nine brands it tested contained enough of the LDL-lowering com­pounds to match what was used in good studies. What’s more, some brands had 300 times more of the active ingre­dients than others. And the amounts in some brands varied dramatically from year to year. Compounding the problem: most labels don’t list the amounts of the active ingredients, so you can’t easily tell how much you’re getting or how one brand compares with another. Looks like the manufacturers have the advantage here. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the FDA to level the playing field for consumers. Psyllium Taking roughly 7 grams of the soluble fiber psyllium every day for an average of eight weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by about 11 percent. That’s around three rounded teaspoons of Metamucil, the best-known brand. Prod­ucts that contain at least 1.7 grams of psyllium per serving can legally claim that they may reduce the risk of heart disease. The FDA assumes that people will consume four servings a day. Sources: Br. J. Nutr. 112: 214, 2014. (phytosterols); PLoS ONE 9: e98611, 2015. (red yeast rice); Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69: 30, 1999. (psyllium) Find this article about dietary supplements interesting and useful? Nutrition Action Healthletter subscribers regularly get sound, timely information about staying healthy with diet and exercise, delicious recipes, and detailed analyses of the healthy and unhealthy foods in supermarkets and restaurants. If you’re not already subscribing to the world’s most popular nutrition newsletter, click here to join hundreds of thousands of fellow health-minded consumers.