{"id":50797,"date":"2025-04-25T21:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T01:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/mayo-health-library\/cholesterol-lowering-supplements-may-be-helpful\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:53:24","slug":"cholesterol-lowering-supplements-may-be-helpful","status":"publish","type":"mayo","link":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/zh\/mayo-health-library\/cholesterol-lowering-supplements-may-be-helpful\/","title":{"rendered":"Cholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

If you’re worried about your cholesterol level and have started exercising and eating healthier foods, you might wonder if a dietary supplement could help. With your doctor’s OK, here are some cholesterol-improving supplements to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cholesterol-improving supplement<\/th>\nWhat it might do<\/th>\nSide effects and drug interactions<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Berberine<\/td>\nMay reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides<\/td>\nMay cause diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea or vomiting; may cause harm to babies during pregnancy and breastfeeding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fish oil<\/td>\nMay reduce triglycerides<\/td>\nMay cause a fishy aftertaste, bad breath, gas, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; may interact with some blood-thinning medications<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Flaxseed, ground<\/td>\nMay reduce LDL<\/abbr> cholesterol<\/td>\nMay cause gas, bloating or diarrhea; may interact with some blood-thinning medications<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u849c<\/td>\nMay slightly reduce cholesterol but studies have been conflicting<\/td>\nMay cause bad breath, body odor, nausea, vomiting and gas; may interact with some blood-thinning medications<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Green tea or green tea extract<\/td>\nMay lower LDL<\/abbr> cholesterol<\/td>\nMay cause nausea, vomiting, gas or diarrhea; may interact with blood-thinning medications<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Niacin<\/td>\nMay lower LDL<\/abbr> cholesterol and triglycerides; may improve high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol<\/td>\nMay cause itching and flushing, which are more common at the higher doses usually needed to have an effect on cholesterol<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Plant stanols and sterols<\/td>\nMay reduce LDL<\/abbr> cholesterol, particularly in people with a genetic condition that causes high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)<\/td>\nMay cause diarrhea<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Some red yeast rice products contain a substance (monacolin K) that is chemically identical to the active ingredient in lovastatin (Altoprev), a prescription medication that lowers cholesterol. Because there is variability in quality from manufacturer, the amount of monacolin K can vary widely from product to product.<\/p>\n

Products that contain monacolin K can cause the same types of side effects as lovastatin, which include damage to the muscles, kidneys and liver. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that dietary supplements that contain more than trace amounts of monacolin K are unapproved drugs and can’t be sold legally as dietary supplements.<\/p>\n

While dietary supplements can help, you might also need prescription medications to get your cholesterol numbers to a safe level. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take any type of dietary supplement, because some can interact with medications you may be taking.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diet and exercise are proven ways to reduce cholesterol. Cholesterol-lowering supplements might help, too.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1686,1685,1682,1684],"class_list":["post-50797","mayo","type-mayo","status-publish","hentry","tag-anatomical-structure","tag-condition","tag-person-group-concept","tag-theme-of-focus","content_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful - Hancock Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/zh\/mayo-health-library\/cholesterol-lowering-supplements-may-be-helpful\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_HK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful - Hancock Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Diet and exercise are proven ways to reduce cholesterol. 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