How to Optimise Cholesterol Levels Naturally

Adelaide cholesterol treatment. Gut Health Naturopath Adelaide.

Cholesterol is not necessarily the enemy - our body needs adequate cholesterol to make hormones and to support brain health. It's less about reducing cholesterol levels and more about consuming the right kind of fats in appropriate ratios, reducing overall inflammation, consuming enough fibre and moving your body regularly. Disordered lipid levels are referred to as Dsylipidemia - this is where we should focus our investigation and treatment in order to optimise cholesterol levels naturally.

What is Dyslipidemia?

As mentioned above, dyslipidemia refers to imbalanced levels of fat in the body (lipids). Dyslipidemia is a known risk fact for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is more important to focus on than only looking at total cholesterol levels. So what kind of blood tests should we focus on? We want to look at your LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol to give us an idea of the unhealthy vs. the healthy kind of cholesterol (put simply). We also want to look at your level of triglycerides (stored body fat), homocysteine (risk factor for CVD), CRP (marker of general inflammation in the body) and omega-3 levels (which can have a protective effect on CVD).

What causes cholesterol issues?

Obesity

Diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates

Low fibre diets

Sedentary lifestyle

Stress

Smoking

Hypothyroidism

PCOS

Hepatitis

Alcohol misuse

Poorly controlled diabetes/insulin resistance

Some medications (like the oral contraceptive pill)

Is medication the only solution?

You may have heard about statin medication which is a type of drug that lowers cholesterol by reducing the amount that your liver makes and removing cholesterol that's already in your blood. Sounds great, right? There are actually several studies that demonstrate that lowering cholesterol does not reduce the risk of CVD. In fact many countries that typically have higher cholesterol (like Spain and Switzerland), actually have less CVD. Not to mention the common side-effects of nutrient depletion (statins deplete a nutrient called CoQ10), muscle pain and aching. Of course it's never a good idea to stop medication without consulting your doctor but there are other solutions.

What does natural cholesterol treatment look like?

1. Get the right cholesterol tests - your Naturopath can help to advocate for this or provide a private referral if you do not wish to go through your doctor.

2. Improve your diet - think about the mediterranean diet. Whole foods, low glycemic index (GI) carbs, good quality lean proteins, moderate diary intake, healthy fats, lots of vegetables, fruit, unprocessed grains and legumes. Alcohol reduction.

3. Exercise regularly - exercise increases the good kind of cholesterol (HDL) which helps transport excess LDL cholesterol to the liver where it can be removed from the body.

4. Reduce stress levels - often stress can be the trigger that leads to a heart attack. Regular circulating stress hormones also increase inflammation (causing the liver to produce more cholesterol and triglycerides).

5. Take the right supplements - as prescribed by your Naturopath. The quality is higher than supplements you can buy off the shelf and you will receive personalised guidance about hitting the right dosage range. Some of the best supplements for optimising cholesterol levels include but are not limited to: Fish oil, Turmeric, Red rice yeast and Fibre.

On the whole, Naturopathic treatment will involve the use of targeted nutritional and/or herbal supplements with the long term goal to eventually ween off of all supplements and maintain optimal cholesterol levels through lifestyle and dietary modifications.

Are you ready to finally get to the bottom of things? Book a Naturopath appointment today.