There are a lot of studies showing other ways to lower cholesterol
without risking side effects.  Take in combination you have a powerful
program that can really make a difference.

Can Garlic Reduce Levels of Serum Lipids? A Controlled Clinical
StudyJain, Adesh K. MD; Vargas, Ramon MD; Gotzkowsky, Sandra RN; and
McMahon F. Gilbert, MD, FACP, "Can Garlic Reduce Levels of Serum
Lipids? A Controlled Clinical Study", American Journal of Medicine,
June 1, 1993, Vol. 94, Num. 0, pp. 632-635

"Forty-two healthy adults (19 men, 23 women), mean age of 52 +/- 12
years, with a serum cholesterol (TC) level of greater than or equal to
220 mg/dL received, in a randomized, double-blind fashion, either 300
mg three times a day of standardized garlic powder in tablet form or
placebo ... The base serum TC level of 262 +/- 34 mg/dL was reduced to
247 +/- 40 mg/dL (p<0.01) after 12 weeks of standardized garlic
treatment. Corresponding values for placebo were 276 +/- 34 mg/dL
before and 274 +/- 29 mg/dL after placebo treatment. Low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was reduced by 11% by garlic treatment
and 3% by placebo (p<0.05). ... Treatment with standardized garlic 900
mg/d produced a significantly greater reduction in serum TC and LDL-C
than placebo. The garlic formulation was well tolerated without any
odor problems."

Inhibition of Low Density Lipoprotein Synthesis by Dietary Omega-3
Fatty Acids in HumansIllingworth, Roger D.; Harris, William S.; and
Connor, William E., "Inhibition of Low Density Lipoprotein Synthesis by
Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Humans", Arteriosclerosis, May 1, 1984,
Vol. 4, Num. 3, pp. 270-275

"Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish oils lower the
plasma concentrations of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low
density lipoproteins in humans. ... We conclude that dietary omega-3
fatty acids lower plasma LDL levels in normal human subjects by
reducing the rate of synthesis of apoprotein B."

"Recent metabolic studies have indicated that when fish oils rich in
omega-3 fatty acids are added to the diets of either normal volunteers
or hyperlipidemic patients, the plasma concentrations of both
cholesterol and triglycerides are reduced. We have previously shown
that dietary fish oils lower plasma concentrations of very low density
lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels
even more effectively than equal amounts of polyunsaturated vegetable
oils. The purpose of the experiments reported in this paper was to
examine the mechanism(s) by which dietary omega-3 fatty acids reduce
plasma concentrations of LDL in normal human subjects."

"Steady-state concentrations of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides on
the control and fish-oil-enriched diets were obtained in 10 to 14 days
and both were significantly lower on the omega-3 fatty acid-enriched
diet. The total and LDL cholesterol concentrations fell 23% and 20%
respectively, on the fish-oil-enriched diet; these changes were
paralleled by a 43% decrease in the concentrations of plasma
triglycerides."

Beneficial Effects of Soybean Isoflavone in Postmenopausal Japanese
Women: A Four-Week StudyUesugi, Takehiko; Fukui; Yukata, MS; and
Yamori, Yukio, MD, PhD, "Beneficial Effects of Soybean Isoflavone in
Postmenopausal Japanese Women: A Four-Week Study", Journal of the
American College of Nutrition, January 1, 2002, Vol. 21, Num. 2, pp.
97-102

"In addition to beneficial effects on bone metabolism, isoflavones
lowered total serum cholesterol levels as well as LDL cholesterol. High
LDL cholesterol levels are known to be associated with atherosclerosis.
Estrogen increases LDL catabolism by increasing the number of LDL
receptors, as shown in hepatocytes from estrogen-treated rats.
Isoflavones may reduce LDL level by increasing the number of LDL
receptors in a similar manner. Our data thus confirmed that isoflavones
had beneficial effects on bone and lipid metabolism, suggesting they
may be useful for preventing both osteoporosis and coronary heart
diseases."

Toward a new recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C based on
antioxidant and health effects in humans.Carr, C. and Frei, B., "Toward
a new recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C based on antioxidant
and health effects in humans.", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
January 1, 1999, Vol. 69, Num. 0, pp. 1086-1107"

"Enstrom et al showed a risk reduction in cardiovascular disease of
42% in men and 25% in women consuming > 50 mg vitamin C/d from the diet
plus regular supplements, corresponding to approximately 300 mg total
vitamin C/d. An earlier study b Enstrom et al indicated that intakes of
vitamin C > 250 mg/d were not associated with an additional risk
reduction for cardiovascular disease, although subsequent reanalysis of
the data indicated that intakes > 750 mg/d were associated with a
reduction in overall mortality. Sahyoun et al reported a significant
62% lower risk of cardiovascular disease in a population of elderly men
and women consuming > 388 mg vitamin C/d than in those consuming < 90
mg/d."

Cross sectional study of effects of drinking green tea on
cardiovascular and liver diseasesImai, K. and Nakachi, K., "Cross
sectional study of effects of drinking green tea on cardiovascular and
liver diseases", BMJ (British Medical Journal), March 18, 1995, Vol.
310, Num. 0, pp. 693-696

"Our cross sectional study showed a close association between high
consumption of green tea and normalization of serum components, which
reflects cardiovascular and liver diseases. Increased consumption of
green tea, especially more than 10 cups a day, was associated with a
decreased serum total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations;
increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and
decreased low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol
concentrations, resulting in a reduced atherogenic index; decreased
serum concentrations of lipid peroxides among smokers; and decreased
aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase concentrations,
and serum ferritin concentrations. The associations between green tea
and serum total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations and
between green tea and high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol
concentrations are well correlated with experimental observations and
the prevalence of heart disease in our cohort, implying green tea may
act preventively against cardiovascular disease."

Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study:
a randomized trial of the effect of vitamin E and C on 3-year
progression of carotid atherosclerosisJ.T. Salonen; K. Nyyssönen, R.
Salonen; H.-M. Lakka, J. Kaikkonen; E. Porkkala-Sarathaho; S.
Voutilainen; T. A. Lakka; T. Rissanen; L. Leskinen; T.-P. Tuomainen;
V.-P. Valkonen; U. Ristonmaa; and H.E. Poulsen, "Antioxidant
Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study: a
randomized trial of the effect of vitamin E and C on 3-year progression
of carotid atherosclerosis", Journal of Internal Medicine, January 1,
2000, Vol. 248, Num. 0, pp. 377-386

"In men, the proportion of those who experienced progression was
reduced by 74% (95% CI 36-89%, P = 0.003) in the group randomized to
receive both vitamins, as compared with those who received only
placebo. The respective treatment effect was nonsignificant in groups
that received only vitamin E or vitamin C, although there were trends
towards protection."

"The present findings are the first demonstration in a
population-based study of an atherosclerotic disease preventing effect
of supplementation with antioxidant vitamins. Our study suggests that
the benefit may be limited to men, and possibly to men who are at
increased oxidative stress such as smokers or those who have
insufficient status of dietary or endogenous antioxidants. The observed
effect modification by gender and smoking status needs to be retested
in further clinical trials."

"The progression rate in smoking men who received vitamin E and C
supplements was lower than in nonsmoking men receiving placebo. Thus,
in this study the preventive effect of the supplementation was at least
equal to the atherosclerosis promoting effect of smoking. This is not a
trivial effect from the public health point of view."

"The vitamins E and C supplements were safe. There were neither
excess death nor excess other adverse events in the groups randomized
to supplements, although the sample size was not designed to detect
effects on either deaths or other disease events. Both the adherence to
treatment and the bioavailability of the supplements were good, judged
based on increases of plasma vitamin levels. The drop-out rate during
the trial was exceptionally low."

"In conclusion, our study shows that a formulation providing combined
supplementation with reasonable doses of both vitamin E and
slow-release vitamin C for at least three years can retard the
progression of common carotid atherosclerosis substantially in regular
smoking men. However, this study does not provide evidence for any
substantial preventive effect in postmenopausal women, although a small
benefit cannot be ruled out. As common carotid plaques and increased
intimal-media thickness have been shown to predict coronary events,
this observation may imply benefits with regard to
atherosclerosis-related events."

Study: Diet lowers cholesterol as well as drug", CNN, February 8, 2005

A diet rich in fiber and vegetables lowered cholesterol just as much as
taking a statin drug, Canadian researchers reported Monday.

They said people who cannot tolerate the statin drugs because of
side-effects can turn to the diet, which they said their volunteers
could easily follow.

David Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto
and colleagues created what they called a diet "portfolio" high in soy
protein, almonds, and cereal fiber as well as plant sterols --
tree-based compounds used in cholesterol-lowering margarines, salad
dressing and other products.

They tested their diet on 34 overweight men and women, comparing it
with a low-fat diet and with a normal diet plus a generic statin drug,
lovastatin.

Each volunteer followed each regimen for a month, with a break in
between each treatment cycle.

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jenkins and
colleagues said the low-fat diet lowered LDL -- the low-density
lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol -- by 8.5 percent after a month.
Statins lowered LDL by 33 percent and the "portfolio" diet lowered LDL
by nearly 30 percent.

4 Reasons to Grab a Handful of Almonds as Your Next Snack", Medical
News Today, February 7, 2005

During American Heart Month, a New Study Adds to the Body of Research
on Almonds' Healthy Heart and Weight Benefits -

Crunchy, handy almonds have been sighted in many new breakfast, snack,
and salad products as research continues to show their healthful
qualities. So, when you're perusing the supermarket aisles during
American Heart Month (February) or National Nutrition Month (March),
consider these three reasons almonds fit the bill as a perfect
nutritional "boost" to meals and snacks:

1) New research supports almonds' ability to lower cholesterol. A study
to be published Monday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
provides more evidence that almonds are one of the most heart-healthy
foods around.

The study finds that when directly compared to first-generation
statins, a certain heart-healthy dietary approach including almonds is
just as effective in lowering LDL, or "bad," cholesterol below the
recommended range for heart disease prevention.

Lifestyle Changes Cut Heart Risk Without Drugs", Reuters UK, January 5,
2005

In a new study, a 12-week program designed to change unhealthy
lifestyles helped adults with high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
and high blood sugar reach their goal risk-factor levels without using
drug therapy.

These results "refute the notion that intensive lifestyle intervention
is not worth the effort," lead author Dr. Neil F. Gordon, from St.
Joseph's/Candler Health System in Savannah, Georgia, and colleagues
note in the American Journal of Cardiology.

The results are based on a study of 2390 adults who participated in the
lifestyle program, which involved an initial health assessment followed
by the setting of goals and lifestyle changes designed to reduce their
risk factors.

Participation in the program was associated with a significant
improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, sugar levels, and
body weight. Moreover, in a subset of 700 patients, the intervention
was linked to a significant reduction in standard risk scores for heart
disease.

"Therapeutic lifestyle changes can generally be implemented less
expensively than most medications and, unlike single-drug therapy,
favorably affect multiple risk factors," the investigators point out.

Thus, the current findings could have important implications for
healthcare payers, which often do not reimburse for such lifestyle
interventions, they add.

SOURCE: American Journal of Cardiology, December 15, 2004.

Valerie Reitman, "Eating cinnamon boon to health, study finds",
Cincinnati Post, January 5, 2005

A little bit of cinnamon might spice up your health.

The aromatic bark can lower blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol
levels, as well as improve insulin functioning, particularly in Type 2
diabetics, researchers have found. Richard Anderson, lead scientist at
the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., has been
studying cinnamon and calls its medicinal properties the most
significant nutritional discovery he's seen in 25 years.

"I don't know of anything else," he said, other than drugs, "that can
change glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels nearly so much."

The most recent study, which appeared in the journal "Diabetes Care,"
showed that, after 40 days, 30 diabetics who had taken 1 to 6 grams of
cinnamon extract daily reduced their risk factors for cardiovascular
disease. Specifically, their mean fasting glucose fell 18 percent to 29
percent, their triglycerides 25 percent to 30 percent, their LDL
("bad") cholesterol 7 percent to 27 percent and their total cholesterol
12 percent to 26 percent.

Good fats lower multiple heart disease risk factors", Medical News
Today, November 9, 2004

A Penn State study has shown that a diet rich in alpha-linolenic acid
from walnuts, walnut oil and flaxseed oil not only lowered bad
cholesterol but also decreased markers for blood vessel inflammation in
men and women representative of typical Americans at cardiovascular
risk.

While previous studies have shown that walnut supplementation favorably
affects cholesterol and other lipids that are signs of cardiovascular
risk, this new study is the first to demonstrate that a diet high in
walnuts decreases C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation
strongly associated with heart disease.

Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition who led
the study. says, "In a heart healthy diet, you need different
unsaturated fatty acids that come from a variety of vegetable sources.
Walnuts are a good source of two essential unsaturated fatty acids,
alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid. They are a source of dietary
fiber and a small amount of plant protein and other important vitamins
and minerals. This research shows that walnuts, with their unique
nutrient profile, can play a role in reducing cardiovascular risk
factors as part of eating plans that also control saturated fat, trans
fat, dietary cholesterol and calories."

The study is detailed in a paper, Dietary Alpha-Linolenic Acid Reduces
Inflammatory and Lipid Cardiovascular Risk Factor in
Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women, in the current issue of the Journal
of Nutrition. The authors are Guixiang Zhao, former doctoral student in
nutritional sciences at Penn State; Dr. Terry D. Etherton,
distinguished professor and head of the Department of Dairy and Animal
Sciences; Dr. Keith R. Martin, assistant professor of nutritional
sciences; Dr. Sheila G. West, assistant professor of biobehavioral
health; Dr. Peter J. Gillies, director, Health Science Strategy, DuPont
Haskell Laboratory for Health and Environmental Sciences, DuPont; and
Kris-Etherton.

The study included 20 men and 3 women, average age about 50, who were
overweight, had moderately elevated cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and
were representative of individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease.
On average their total cholesterol was 225, LDL cholesterol 154, HDL
cholesterol 45 and triglycerides 137 mg/dl.

The participants ate three experimental diets that provided about 35
percent of total calories as fat. One diet approximated the average
American diet (AAD). Another, the linoleic acid (LA) diet, included an
ounce of walnuts and a tablespoon of walnut oil that provided about
12.6 percent of calories from linoleic acid and 3.6 percent of calories
from alpha-linolenic acid. The third, the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
diet, included the walnuts and walnut oil as well as a teaspoon of
flaxseed oil to boost the content of alpha-linolenic acid. The fat
content was 10.5 percent of calories from linoleic acid and 6.5 percent
from alpha-linolenic acid.

The participants consumed each diet for six weeks. Then they took a
two-week break before beginning the next diet. At the end of each
6-week diet period, they provided blood samples so that their
cardiovascular risk factors could be monitored.

Compared to the average American diet, both the LA and the ALA diets
lowered total cholesterol about 11 percent, LDLs about 11 or 12 percent
and triglycerides about 18 percent. After six weeks on the diet, CRP
declined after both the LA and ALA diets but more so on the ALA diet.
Some participants had a dramatic reduction in CRP.

Amy Norton, "Exercise During Pregnancy Keeps Cholesterol Down", Reuters
UK, August 27, 2004

Women who stay active early in pregnancy may have lower cholesterol
than those who take it easy, new research suggests.

Investigators found that among 925 pregnant women evaluated at the end
of the first trimester, levels of total cholesterol and blood fats
called triglycerides declined as exercise levels increased.

It is normal for a woman's cholesterol and triglycerides to go up
during pregnancy, lead study author Carole L. Butler told Reuters
Health, but particularly large increases have been linked to the
pregnancy complications gestational diabetes and preeclampsia -- a
potential dangerous condition marked by high blood pressure, fluid
retention and protein in the urine.

Some studies have found evidence that exercise lowers a woman's risk of
both of these complications. The new findings suggest that effects on
cholesterol could be one reason, said Butler, a researcher at the
University of Washington in Seattle.

She and her colleagues report the findings in the American Journal of
Epidemiology.

The study included women who were interviewed around their 13th week of
pregnancy about their exercise habits over the previous week, as well
as other lifestyle and health factors. The researchers found that women
who spent the most time being active -- about 13 or more hours a week
-- had the lowest total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while
sedentary women had the highest. More moderate exercisers fell
somewhere in between.

Similarly, women who reported vigorous activities such as jogging had
lower cholesterol and triglycerides than women who engaged in moderate
exercise such as "casual" swimming and biking. Again, sedentary women
had the highest levels.

However, it seems a woman need not exercise intensely to see the most
cholesterol benefits. According to Butler, time spent exercising,
whatever the activity, was just as strongly related to cholesterol
levels as exercise intensity was.

She said the findings should encourage research into the effects of
exercise later in pregnancy as well.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2004.

"Blueberries 'lower cholesterol'", BBC News, August 24, 2004

Blueberries could provide an alternative way to lower cholesterol,
according to US researchers.

A compound in the fruits acted as effectively as a commercial drug used
to reduce levels of the "bad" form of cholesterol in rodents.

Although the results are preliminary, the Department of Agriculture
team thinks the antioxidant ingredient could be developed as a
treatment.

They presented their findings to an American Chemical Society meeting.

Amy Norton, "Soy Protein May Benefit Diabetics' Kidneys", Reuters,
August 6, 2004

The kidney function of people with type 2 diabetes seems to be improved
by dietary soy protein, with the added benefit that their levels of
"good" cholesterol also go up a bit, preliminary research suggests.

Kidney function often becomes impaired with long-standing diabetes. The
study of 14 older men with diabetes-related kidney disease found that
adding a soy product to their diets reduced the amount of protein in
their urine -- an indicator of improved kidney function.

The study is too small to draw conclusions, but the results provide
"initial evidence" that isolated soy protein may help reduce diabetics'
risk of kidney and heart disease, the researchers say.

Dr. John W. Erdman Jr., one of the study's authors, told Reuters Health
he hopes the work will spur larger studies.

It's unclear why soy protein might aid in diabetic kidney disease, but
estrogen-like plant compounds called isoflavones could be involved,
said Erdman, a professor of food science at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.

He and his colleagues there and with the Veterans Affairs Illiana
Health Care System in Danville, Illinois, report the findings in the
Journal of Nutrition.

For eight weeks, men in the study used an isolated soy protein powder
that could be added to a drink or food. For another eight weeks, they
used a milk-based protein powder.

The goal, Erdman explained, was to have the men replace part of their
usual protein intake with the soy or milk protein; however, the
patients failed to follow the diet instructions and instead added the
protein powders to their normal routine.

Yet even with the extra protein intake, the men's excretion of protein
in urine fell an average of nearly 10 percent when they consumed the
soy product, the researchers found. In contrast, protein levels in the
urine increased with the milk-based powder.

In addition, eight weeks on the soy powder boosted the men's levels of
heart-healthy HDL cholesterol by about four percent, while it tended to
dip while the men were on the milk protein.