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How to lower blood cholesterol without medication?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The presence of this substance in the human body is predetermined by nature. It is related to fatty alcohols, which are necessary for the human body. Cholesterol or cholesterol makes cell membranes, nerve and vascular membranes strong, restoring defects if necessary. Low cholesterol levels indicate a high probability of acute cerebral hemorrhage or the development of severe depression, infertility, anemia, osteoporosis or diabetes.

At the end of the 20th century, cholesterol was declared the main cause of cardiovascular pathologies and a fight against it began. However, in the end, everything turned out to be not so clear-cut, and at present even its main role in the development of atherosclerosis has been questioned, since a direct connection between the presence of excess low-density lipoproteins in the blood (so to speak, "bad" cholesterol) and atherosclerosis (and other diseases of the cardiovascular system) has not been confirmed.

The role of this fatty alcohol in the functioning of the organs and systems of the human body is very great. Its "harmfulness" or "benefit" appears after binding with certain transport proteins. Low-density lipoproteins, settling on the inner surface of blood vessels, form cholesterol formations (plaques), clogging their lumen. These compounds are considered "harmful". However, they are the ones that participate in the formation of cell membranes of erythrocytes, hepatocytes, neurons, and maintain the tone of the body's muscles. The presence of plaques is combated by "good" cholesterol, high density, capable of cleaning the vessels.

Both cholesterol compounds are necessary for the normal functioning of the body and, of course, it is good when these indicators are within normal limits. A high level of total cholesterol due to the concentration of low-density lipoproteins is considered dangerous due to an increased likelihood of developing acute pathologies of the heart and cerebral circulation.

Monitoring the concentration of cholesterol in the blood is necessary, especially for older people, those with vascular diseases, and those who are overweight.

It is possible to maintain its normal level by eating rationally and moving actively. However, what should those who have already formed an excess of this substance with excess harmful compounds act? Is it possible to reduce cholesterol without medication?

Three quarters of cholesterol is endogenous - produced by the body itself, and only a quarter of it we get from food. However, by reviewing our lifestyle and diet, we ourselves can normalize the level of serum cholesterol without medication, provided that the indicators are not off the charts and coronary pathologies are in their infancy.

Folk recipes for lowering cholesterol levels

Having received disappointing results from a blood test, the doctor usually prescribes pills that lower serum cholesterol levels, which he recommends taking on a regular basis to prevent atherosclerosis and reduce the likelihood of developing acute vascular pathologies. However, not all researchers agree with the need to prescribe cholesterol-lowering medications to everyone. Of course, in severe cases, you cannot do without medications, there is simply no other way out. But these drugs have a lot of side effects, and not all doctors share the opinion that older people need these drugs for preventive purposes.

People who have high levels of this fatty alcohol in their blood and do not suffer from severe vascular diseases can first try to reduce this level without medication using folk remedies.

A unique product such as flax seed reduces it very effectively and quickly. All you need to do is grind the seeds into flour in a coffee grinder and add flax powder to any ready-made daily dishes: porridge, soups, mashed potatoes, stews.

You can take flaxseed oil in the morning on an empty stomach from one to three tablespoons. Just keep in mind that flaxseed flour should be consumed immediately, and the oil does not last long (usually no more than a week). Flaxseed powder and oil are afraid of sunlight and quickly oxidize in the open air.

To reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the blood, it is recommended to take an alcohol tincture of propolis: before sitting down at the dinner table, dissolve a teaspoon of propolis tincture (4%) in a tablespoon of clean water and drink it immediately. The duration of such treatment is four months.

You can cleanse your vascular system of cholesterol plaques using dandelion. It is recommended to eat a teaspoon of powder from the dried roots of this plant every day before all meals for six months.

After the first frosts, it is recommended to eat five or six fresh berries of the common red rowan before each meal, and for only four days. Then you need to take a ten-day break and repeat the course again.

Garlic is a well-known fighter against "bad" cholesterol. There are many recipes and schemes for taking garlic. A garlic-lemon drink is quite simple. Squeeze the juice from one kilogram of lemons, add 200 g of garlic cloves ground into a gruel in a blender, mix well and leave in the refrigerator for three days. Dilute one tablespoon of the mixture in a glass of boiled water and drink in the morning. You need to drink the entire prepared portion.

A good effect is achieved by daily consumption of two or three cloves of garlic. You can prepare garlic oil for salads from fresh vegetables - seven cloves of garlic are finely chopped and poured with a glass of olive oil, and left to infuse for 40 hours.

In this case, you need to follow certain nutritional rules, the main thing is to refuse products containing trans fats - these are all kinds of semi-finished products (sausages, dumplings, sausages, ready-made confectionery, canned goods), do not season salads with mayonnaise, refuse fatty meats, offal, margarine and refined oil. Replace animal fats with vegetable oils - sunflower, corn. This is not a strict diet at all, for example, egg yolk is one of the main sources of cholesterol, but this does not mean that you need to completely refuse it. You can limit yourself to three or four eggs a week, cook protein omelets, and not fry eggs with lard.

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Cholesterol-Lowering Foods

In this sense, the benefits of tea, especially green tea, are undeniable. A substance such as tannin, contained in tea leaves, helps regulate cholesterol levels. According to the results of the studies, the people who took part in it regularly drank tea and at the same time ate cholesterol-rich food. Its serum concentration remained within the normal range. However, tea is not considered a leader in the fight against insidious fatty alcohol.

Tannins are found in quince, pomegranate, persimmon, rhubarb, dogwood, black currant, and dark grape varieties.

A number of products have the ability to significantly reduce serum cholesterol. For example, legumes, any legumes. They contain pectin, a hydrophilic fiber that has the ability to remove cholesterol from the body. Daily consumption of 100-150 g of boiled beans for 21 days reduces cholesterol levels by 20%.

Pectin fibers are found in almost all vegetables, berries and fruits. They are abundant in beets, currants, apples, peaches, apricots, bananas, plums, pumpkin, citrus fruits, and carrots. For example, it is enough to eat two carrots or half a grapefruit a day for breakfast and an apple in the afternoon (not instead of breakfast and lunch, but in addition to it). In addition, red fruits contain lycopene, which, according to some sources, also has the ability to significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels.

Bran, rich in fiber, removes cholesterol from the intestines, preventing it from being absorbed and entering the systemic bloodstream. Replace buns, wheat bread made from high-quality white flour with bakery products with bran, eat half a cup of oat bran daily in the form of porridge, add them to homemade baked goods - cookies, buns and, repeating the blood test in two weeks, make sure of the positive result.

Nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts and peanut butter) also cleanse the blood and vessels of cholesterol due to the presence of monounsaturated fats in them. Olive oil and avocados are rich in such fats.

Eggplants and celery should also become favorite products. They should be consumed without heat treatment. Eggplants can be added to salads, before cooking which, briefly pour the pieces of vegetable with salted water to eliminate the bitter taste.

You can make the following salad from celery: chop the clean stalks of the plant and blanch for a couple of minutes, put them in a salad bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds, add a little salt and sugar. Season to taste with unrefined vegetable oil. You should prepare this dish more often during the season.

Fish oil is a natural statin that stabilizes cholesterol levels due to the polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids it contains.

Phytosterols, found in plants, perform functions similar to those of cholesterol in the human body, which responds to them by reducing its own production and eliminating excess. They are present in many healthy foods. They are rich in sprouted wheat grains, brown rice bran, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, pistachios, almonds and pine nuts.

A little freshly squeezed juice from vegetables and fruits will quickly bring high cholesterol back within the normal range. Nutritionists offer the following juice therapy option, designed for only five days:

  • the first is 70g of celery root juice (you can also use leaf juice, squeezing the juice from the leaves with stems) and 130g of carrot juice;
  • the second - 100g of carrot juice, 70g of cucumber juice, 70g of beet juice, which should be squeezed out at least two hours before consumption and left to stand in the refrigerator;
  • third – 130g of carrot juice, 70g each of apple and celery;
  • fourth – 130g of carrot juice, 50g of cabbage juice;
  • fifth: 130 g of orange juice.

Alcohol will be discussed separately. High-quality alcoholic beverages can also lower cholesterol. For example, malt whiskey in a dose of 40 g per week can have an anti-cholesterol effect, as well as natural wine from dark grapes (150 ml). However, alcohol is contraindicated for most diseases, as well as taking medications. So you should not treat yourself with alcohol, especially since there are enough products that can normalize the level of low-density lipoproteins for all tastes.

Scientists from Great Britain have discovered a gene responsible for the balance of "harmful" and "useful" lipoproteins. According to their calculations, about a third of the population has this gene, but it needs to be activated, which requires only following a strict eating regimen - eating every four or five hours at the same time.

By the way, the use of natural, unfried animal fats: lard, butter, whole milk, of course, without fanaticism, is also rehabilitated - if cholesterol stops coming with food, then the body begins to intensively produce it itself, because it is a necessary component for normal life. The compensatory mechanism works in the opposite case - by "feeding" ourselves with cholesterol products, we thereby reduce its production.

Healthy eating is now on everyone's lips and there was nothing new in our article, in general. Therefore, the question of how to lower cholesterol without medication at home is also easy to answer. Everything is interconnected in the body, if you try to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, eat rationally, then you do not have hypercholesterolemia.

But if the concentration of this substance in the blood is increased, reconsider your lifestyle. This is a reason to quit smoking, reduce coffee consumption, lose weight, improve your diet, and start moving more. Physical exercise helps lower cholesterol levels by reducing the deposits accumulated on the walls of blood vessels. Intensive exercise increases the level of high-density lipoproteins, which will cleanse the vascular system naturally. Running and aerobics are considered the most effective in this sense, however, if an elderly person with a bunch of acquired pathologies suddenly starts running, this is also unlikely to benefit him. The loads need to be increased gradually. Even replacing evening watching of TV series or news with a walk in the fresh air can significantly help your body.

Studies show that relaxation helps. Part of the group of patients who were prescribed a low-cholesterol diet were given relaxing music to listen to twice a day. This group's level of dangerous lipoproteins dropped much faster than the other part of the patients who read books.

Yoga classes can have a beneficial effect on the content of “harmful” fatty alcohols, which will also improve the health of the body and make the muscles work.

Food supplements can be beneficial – ascorbic and nicotinic acid, spirulina, vitamin E and calcium. The well-known activated carbon attaches to cholesterol molecules and eliminates them from the body.

Just remember that active measures to normalize cholesterol levels in the blood are not recommended to be taken just like that, without medical supervision and prescriptions. Excessive zeal in this field will not lead to anything good (this does not apply to a healthy lifestyle and feasible physical activity).

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