(CLEVELAND CLINIC) - A new Cleveland Clinic study shows over-the-counter dietary supplements claiming to help lower cholesterol aren't very effective.
Cardiologists say they studied six supplements including fish oil, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, plant sterols, and red yeast rice. And then compared them to statins – which are prescription medicines. The results showed that a low-dose statin was much more effective at reducing cholesterol than any of the supplements. They also found that statins are just as safe as the supplements. In addition, the supplements did very little in helping to reduce cholesterol. So, what does this mean for people with high cholesterol?
"If you have had conversations with your doctor about starting cholesterol-lowering medicines, it's probably best to continue those conversations and not resort to over-the-counter supplements, which generally don't have any great data, including in this trial, that they actually reduce cholesterol and decrease cardiovascular risk," explained Dr. Luke Laffin, Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Laffin says it's probably best for people who are taking these kinds of supplements to treat high cholesterol to stop and switch to a proven medication.
