cholesterol factors.

The medications used to lower cholesterol levels often come with the side effects of muscle pain, muscle weakness, increased blood sugar levels, memory loss, and liver toxicity. EverGreen’s Cholest Factors offers you a very proven way to lower your cholesterol without the unwanted side effects.

It is important to understand that Cholesterol is not the enemy it has been made out to be. It is required by every cell in the human body. It helps to build and maintain membranes; it regulates membrane fluidity. Cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve conduction.

Cholesterol is the precursor molecule in several biochemical pathways. In the liver, cholesterol is converted to bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder.

Bile contains bile salts, which solubilize fats in the digestive tract and aid in the intestinal absorption of fat molecules as well as the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and Vitamin K. Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of Vitamin D and the steroid hormones, including the adrenal gland hormones cortisol and aldosterone as well as the sex hormones progesterone, estrogens, and testosterone.

However, high levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol in the blood puts you at risk. Too much oxidized LDL cholesterol can increase the chances of developing heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. But only when the LDL becomes oxidized. When the body is producing too much cholesterol, this is a sure sign that there is an inflammatory process occurring. It is recommended that inflammation is treated with a natural anti-inflammatory product along with a cholesterol lowering product.

The problems associated with using Statin medications to lower cholesterol are multiple. Side effects include muscle pain, muscle weakness, increased blood sugar levels (diabetes), memory loss (dementia) and liver toxicity. Natural ingredients such as Red Yeast Rice and Phytosterols will lower cholesterol just as effectively as Statins without the side effects.

LDL (Good and Bad but not all Bad) When too much oxidized LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, a heart attack or stroke can result. There are different size particles of LDL cholesterol.

Large size LDL are considered healthy but the small size LDL particles are considered dangerous and troublesome if they become oxidized. It seems that only oxidized LDL can become a problem. LDL becomes oxidized by reacting with free radicals caused by oxidative stress.

The main cause of oxidative stress in the body seems to come from the industrial seed oils also known as vegetable oils.These include soybean oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sesame seed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil and any hydrogenated fat).

Also of note, sugar exacerbates the oxidation process. Natural saturated fats from coconut oil, eggs, beef, lamb, pork, cream and butter are fine to eat and do not increase cardiovascular disease ris

HDL (Good) Cholesterol About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. HDL’s carry cholesterol from the arteries and cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its build up transporting it back to the liver, where it’s passed from the body.

Red yeast rice is red fermented rice. It is produced by cultivating the yeast strain Monascus purpureus on rice. Research shows that red yeast rice extract contains considerable amounts of monacolin K which can lower your total blood cholesterol level, your low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol level and your triglyceride level.

Studies have shown that taking red yeast rice was just as effective as 20 mg per day of the statin drug. The original statin drug is a direct synthetic chemical that was copied to mimic Red Yeast Rice.

And because Red Yeast Rice is not a synthetic chemical, it does not have the side effects that Statin medications have. Also, Red Yeast Rice also seems to lower the smaller, denser dangerous LDL.

Policosanol is a mixture of a few fatty alcohols derived from the waxes of plants. Policosanol is used to help lower cholesterol. Others use it to prevent blood clots and to help with circulation.

It works similarly to red yeast to stop the synthesis of cholesterol but Policosanol also appears to inhibit the oxidation of LDL. Oxidized LDL creates a chronic inflammatory response that promotes the destruction of blood vessels.

Co-Enzyme Q-10 may have significant benefits for people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), from reducing risk for repeat heart attacks and improving outcomes in patients with heart failure to lowering blood pressure and helping combat side effects of cholesterol-lowering statins.

Guggul Extract is a resin known to increase white blood cell counts and possesses strong disinfecting properties. It has long been known to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, while maintaining or improving the HDL to LDL ratio. Guggul works on the liver and helps in increasing the metabolism (or breakdown) of the bad cholesterol known as LDL Cholesterol.

Garlic is a proven anti-oxidant. This property might help to prevent LDLs from being oxidized. In this way, the cholesterol build-up that clogs the arteries could perhaps be reduced by garlic. There are many studies supporting the use of garlic for heart disease prevention. Garlic can lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Phytosterols (called plant sterol and stanol esters) are found in plant cell membranes. The mechanisms suggested on how phytosterols help reduce serum cholesterol include enhancing the excretion of cholesterol, interfering with cholesterol synthesis, and competing for cholesterol receptor sites in the intestinal walls.

Because phytosterols are structurally similar to the body’s cholesterol, when they are consumed they compete with cholesterol for absorption in the digestive system. As a result, cholesterol absorption is blocked, and blood cholesterol levels are reduced.