These days, cholesterol is something you don't have to be a healthy living fanatic to have heard of. It's mentioned in health stories in newspapers on a regular basis, and there's a huge amount of info about it available on the net.

It's possible to find out if you have high cholesterol by visiting your GP, and they will also be able to give you good advice about what to do to improve things if it turns out you have cholesterol levels that could impact your health.

As with many health issues, the way that you live your life could be affecting your cholesterol levels. This include the things you are choosing to eat as part of your diet.

Cutting down on the amount of saturated fat you eat is just one of the things you can do which might be able to help when it comes to cholesterol levels.

Large numbers of people have high cholesterol, so it's no surprise that research into things that could help is plentiful.

But remember that you should always ask your doctor first if you're thinking of using any method or substance to help with this or any other health issue.


Far from just a flavour-enhancing treat, there's a long history of garlic being used by people as a medicine.

And it was recently reported that Australian research had linked garlic with lowering people's levels of cholesterol.

The website ran a story on a 'Nutrition Reviews' article revealing the results of University of Adelaide research.

The research was an analysis of the results that came out of 39 previous studies and it suggested that taking a course of garlic supplements over two months could bring down levels of cholesterol.

People with cholesterol levels that were elevated to a slight degree were found to see totals go down by around eight per cent, on average.

Totals went down 17mg per decilitre on average and the study discovered LDL cholesterol - sometimes called 'bad' cholesterol' - could be brought down by a level of 9mg per decilitre.

According to the news provider, the study described the reductions discovered as very "tolerable" - but noted they were not as big as those that would come from using drugs designed to lower cholesterol.

Dr Karin Ried, the study's lead author, said the research suggested garlic extracts were an option people ought to consider before "frontline pharmaceutical medications" according to the news provider.

"No one should change their current treatment plan or stop taking their medication without consulting their doctor," the researcher warned, however.

People with who have high blood pressure ought to ask their doctor prior to considering using garlic supplements for cholesterol, she also explained.

She also explained that those for whom supplements could have the most benefit were people trying to reduce cholesterol level via changes to lifestyle before using prescriptions.

Being physically active, not smoking and not taking in too much saturated fat are among the things that you can incorporate into your life to help tackle cholesterol.

Some things that people think could help with cholesterol levels include artichoke leaf extract and reishi mushrooms.