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5 Must-Have Cholesterol Supplements
Not ready to swear off your favorite foods? With the right cholesterol support, you may not have to.
Cholesterol supplements are like personal trainers for your heart — minus all the sweat and heavy lifting.
Not only are they great for maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood circulation, and energy levels, but they can also give you a greater sense of control over your cardiovascular health.
Best of all, cholesterol supplements work with any lifestyle — something to consider before you gut all your guilty pleasures.
Benefits
Many of today’s cholesterol supplements include ingredients that have been used for centuries to support cardiovascular health, digestive concerns, and immune health.
One such ingredient is called bergamot, an ancient fruit native to the region of Calabria in Italy.
Residents of the region are known to have long lifespans and a high quality of life, and despite their high-carb diets, also have extraordinary cardiovascular health.
So, what’s their secret?
Experts believe bergamot may help contribute to residents’ longevity and overall heart health.
According to one study, bergamot contains a special enzyme with cholesterol-regulating properties, with evidence to suggest it can help maintain healthy LDL cholesterol.
In its extracted form, bergamot is far more concentrated and potent, offering potentially greater health benefits.
Moreover, combining bergamot with synergistic ingredients like niacin and garlic, may also promote additional benefits related to blood flow, cholesterol, and a happy heart.
A quality cholesterol supplement uses a blend of science-backed ingredients like those mentioned above.
But a long list of ingredients doesn’t always mean you’re getting a superior product. There are plenty of supplements with unnecessary add-ons and fillers — often as a way to inflate the asking price or to make up for low doses of key ingredients.
So, what should you look for in your supplement? Our advice? Keep it simple.
Here's our shortlist of key ingredients and doses to look for in your cholesterol supplement:
Key Ingredients
Clinically Studied Bergamot Extract
Bergamot contains antioxidants related to cholesterol production and arterial health. And it's even more effective in the form of a patented extract called Bergavit® — a clinically-studied form of bergamot that supports a balanced cholesterol profile and your overall heart health.
Recommended dose: 550 mg
Niacin
Niacin is a powerful form of vitamin B3 that helps convert nutrients into cellular energy. Its unique enzymes have been found to influence cholesterol and healthy triglyceride levels already within a normal range.
Recommended dose: 400 mg
Garlic Extract
Allicin, a unique antioxidant found in garlic, promotes strong circulation, helping maximize support for cholesterol that's already within a normal range.
Recommended dose: 130 mg
Olive Leaf Extract
Olive leaf extract is a unique botanical compound that promotes healthy blood lipid levels and supports flexible blood vessels.
Recommended dose: 50 mg
Watch Out For
Red Yeast Rice
Red yeast rice is a common ingredient found in many cardiovascular supplements. However, it can also lead to some undesirable side effects, including headaches, nausea, diarrhea, and overall digestive discomfort.
How We Choose Products
Like you, we’re picky about products — and serious about quality.
Whether we’re featuring an award-winning product from one of our five beauty and wellness brands — or somebody else’s — a Brilliant recommendation doesn’t see the light of day until it has been medically reviewed for accuracy and has fulfilled our Brilliant Criteria.
At Brilliant, we’re not afraid to highlight and celebrate other brands who are doing things right.
Brilliant Criteria
We take great care in handpicking high-quality products to feature on Brilliant. Here’s how we choose them:
- Research-Based Ingredients: We dig deep into the latest research and look for products that contain science-based ingredients for optimal impact.
- Pure, Holistic Formulas: We prioritize products that contain clean, wholesome ingredients shown to be effective. A product should only contain what it needs and nothing else — period.
- Brand credibility: Each product on our list is produced by a company with trusted credibility. We've also verified that each brand adheres to labeling requirements set forth under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
- Value: We evaluate products based on industry averages and price per serving or application. We also consider quantity and return policy.
Why Trust Us?
As veteran leaders in the wellness space with an award-winning brand portfolio of 100+ health and beauty products, we are committed to honesty and transparency, providing unbiased insights into the benefits and limitations of the information and products we evaluate — including our own. Every Brilliant Buying Guide is thoroughly vetted for medical accuracy prior to publication.
With our discerning selection process, you can feel confident that the products we recommend meet the highest benchmarks of quality, transparency, and efficacy. If we wouldn’t use a product ourselves, it’s not Brilliant.
Now that you know what to look for and avoid in your cholesterol supplement, it’s time to shop.
Check out our Brilliant recommendations below, including CholestMD from our in-house brand, 1MD Nutrition®. CholestMD is endorsed by Dr. Heather Shenkman, a board-certified cardiologist.
2024’s Must-Have Cholesterol Supplements
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can cholesterol supplements replace statins or prescription medication?
No, cholesterol supplements are not a replacement for any prescription medication. Always consult your physician before using this or any product.
What foods are cholesterol-friendly?
Balancing your diet with staples such as legumes, low starch veggies, or nuts is a good way to promote and maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Why should cholesterol supplements contain both niacin and niacinamide?
Although the two are used interchangeably, niacin and niacinamide have different properties. When ingested, niacin is converted to niacinamide, and that niacinamide is then converted to a metabolically active form: the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is an important part of our energy production cycle.
The addition of niacinamide boosts the performance of all of the essential biochemical functions of niacin, while also not contributing to the “flushing reaction” commonly experienced with niacin.
Citations
- Mollace, Vincenzo et al. Fitoterapia vol. 82,3 (2011): 309-16. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2010.10.014
- C. Nauman, Mirielle, and Jeremy J. Johnson. Integrative Food, Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 6, no. 2, Mar. 2019, https://doi.org/10.15761/ifnm.1000249.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
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