The Eight Week Cholesterol Challenge
By: Barrett Niehus

When I first started down this path I was looking for something to reduce my cholesterol levels without giving me a heart attack. My doctor recommended Lipitor, but I had read an article in the American Heart Associations web site that indicated Lipitor and other statin drugs may possibly be worse for me than my high cholesterol. (The article that I read is here: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3001036 )

Subsequent research led me to two compounds that have been clinically proven to improve cholesterol levels without side effects. Being a chemical engineer myself, I was skeptical about any claim that did not have sufficient research behind it. However, the two compounds that I found have been clinically verified to be effective in improving cholesterol levels. It was these two compounds that have dramatically changed my condition, and motivated me to solicit this challenge.

What are the two compounds? Well, the first is niacin. That’s right, the inexpensive mineral that is occasionally listed on the food label of our bread, breakfast cereal, sports drinks, or other enriched food. The other compound is pantethine. Strangely enough, pantethine is a compound that our body makes as it created Co-Enzyme A which eventually creates cholesterol.

Between these two chemicals, extensive research has demonstrated dramatic, statin-like, effects on cholesterol levels. In addition, because they are already needed by your body, the two compounds don’t create the dangerous side effects that have been demonstrated with statins.

The two compounds act together to balance out the levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and good (HDL) cholesterol in your blood stream. Clinical trials have demonstrated that niacin is effective in reducing the level of bad cholesterol in your blood stream. In addition, clinical trial on pantethine in Japan have demonstrated that the compound significantly improves the level of good (HDL) cholesterol in your blood stream. Subsequently, the combination of the two may have an amazing effect on your overall cholesterol level.

So what is the challenge? If your doctor have recommended that you lower your cholesterol level or worse, is threatening to put you on a statin drug. Try using these compounds instead. For eight weeks, on a daily basis take 500 mg of pantethine and 400 mg of niacin and see what effect it has on your cholesterol level. I know you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was

These compounds are effective, and there is data to back up that claim. However, a word of caution, with niacin. When you go to the drug store or natural foods market, make sure you buy niacin that is labeled time-release. Niacin is effective on cholesterol, but niacin supplements have a harmless side effect known as a niacin flush. This is the equivalent to a vitamin hot flash. Although harmless, a niacin flush can be uncomfortable for about a half hour. If the form of niacin that you take is not in a time-release dosage, a niacin flush may ensue. So be wary. Other than that, with any supplement do not exceed the recommended dosage.

If you have questions about the two compounds, do what I did. Start with research on the net, then move to reading clinical abstracts and reports. Just remember the challenge. I challenge you to lower your cholesterol to a healthy level without using a statin drug. Good health and good luck

About The Author Barrett Niehus is a principal of IP Ware http://www.freetrainer.com and a technical associate of Compound Solutions http://www.compoundsolutions.com in Escondido, California.

This article was posted on April 01, 2004

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