Vitamins that can Lower Cholesterol

Vitamins are a wonderful way to stay healthy on numerous levels, but are there vitamins that can lower cholesterol, specifically? Almost all vitamins will help to keep your LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol low and your HDL or ‘good cholesterol’ high, but there are some powerhouse vitamins that do the work of fighting high blood lipids like a ten ton truck instead of a wimpy old man.

• One of the first vitamins that can lower cholesterol is Niacin. This is found naturally in dairy products, meat (liver especially), green vegetables and eggs. It is a B vitamin (Vitamin B3 also sometimes called Vitamin PP, or nicotinic acid). Without it, people are susceptible to a pandemic deficiency disease in the same way that a lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy or a lack of Vitamin A can cause night blindness.

Niacin works by increasing your HDL cholesterol, and therefore aiding the body in scavenging the ‘bad’ or LDL cholesterol. Many supplements lack the appropriate amounts of Niacin to be effective, though. The largest safe dose to take via a supplement is considered to be 6 grams a day, but if it is consumed from food stuffs, it is safe at any level.

• Another of the vitamins that can lower cholesterol is vitamin B12. It helps to metabolize cholesterol, aiding the liver to do its job. Foods high in this important nutrient are clams, shellfish and liver, fish eggs, lobster, fish, cheese and eggs. Vegetable sources of Vitamin B 12 include seaweed, algae and fermented soybeans, a delicacy in Japan and in some Hawaiian Shaved Ice.                                                                                          
• Folic acid, found in many vegetables and legumes is another B vitamin that helps to lower cholesterol. Foods like orange juice, spinach, whole-wheat cereals and breads, okra, collard greens, chickpeas, lentils and green beans are high in folic acid. This important vitamin, which is often missing in the diet of many developed nations, also helps prevent birth defects if taken while a woman is pregnant.                                   
• You can find benefits in taking at least 1000 mg of daily Vitamin C. It was recently found to lower cholesterol levels by as much as seven percent.                                    
• Coenzyme Q10 is a substance that is found at the mitochondrion level of our cells. Research shows that taking a supplement of this enzyme can help to lower LDL cholesterol.

Try adding one or more of these vitamins that can lower cholesterol to your diet, exercise frequently, and reduce your stress to experience greater heart health.