13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Alternative cholesterol treatment: Plant sterols

Alternative cholesterol treatment: Plant sterols

A natural, safe and easy way to lower cholesterol has been around forever. But chances are it's one alternative medicine you've never heard of.

"Nowadays it is no longer good enough to know your total cholesterol level. You really need to know your breakdown -- the breakdown between the good and the bad," said Dr. Daniel Rader, a cardiologist who specializes in preventive cardiac medicine. 
 
Too much LDL or bad cholesterol circulating in the blood builds up in the arteries, slowly narrowing them or forming clots. That can lead to heart attack or stroke. Medicine can help.
 
"But there are an awful lot of people who have cholesterol levels that are higher than they should be, but not so high that they really need medication," said Dr. Rader.
 
Diet and exercise can have an impact on reducing or controlling cholesterol levels. Dr. Rader says so can eating phyto or plant sterols.
 
Naturally found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, sterols are sometimes added to other foods like spreads and snack bars or taken as a supplement.
 
"There's no question that phytosterols or plant sterols are one of the best proven, if you will, alternative methods of lowering cholesterol short of drug therapy," said Dr. Rader.

Dr. Rader a strong believer in plant sterols for people with high cholesterol who don't yet show signs of heart disease. He says they have almost no side effects and are safe for children and teens.
 
Research finds they can reduce bad cholesterol by 10 to 15 percent. You can use them in combination with cholesterol lowering prescription drugs.
 
"I've never had really serious cholesterol trouble, but each time I went to the doctor she was warning me that it was inching up," said David Hollenberg.
 
Hollenberg says he's never been shy about alternative medicine and decided to give a plant sterols supplement a try. He doesn't know yet what impact they've had on his cholesterol, but he thinks it's worth a try.
 
"Plant sterols are one of the rare things in the alternative medicine world that actually have been studied, have been proven to work, and are actually endorsed by people like me ... card-carrying regular
doctors who actually think that this really makes sense to do," said Dr. Rader.

If you decide to try plant sterols to lower your cholesterol, the dosage really matters. Some doctors say to be effective, you must take it every day and be sure you're getting enough. For example, one or two tablespoons of sterol- containing spread a day has what you need.