For most people today their normal diet contributes to high cholesterol and in turn high cholesterol is a contributing factor to heart disease which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack. All cholesterol used by the body is made in the liver. Contrary to popular belief cholesterol is an essential element that assists the body in building and maintaining cell membranes, it insulated nerves, helps to produce hormones, and cholesterol even helps the body to digest fat. The cholesterol you ingest through food is not needed to maintain these essential body functions.

Meat and dairy products contain cholesterol and any food that contains saturated or trans fats can increase cholesterol levels in the body. On the one hand, exercise helps lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol while smoking seems to make cholesterol problems even worse.

Medical conditions like diabetes make cholesterol worse along with some medicines. Heredity also plays a part in how the body handles excessive levels of cholesterol and there's not much you can do about that. When your cholesterol levels become excessive and you've done your part through diet and exercise your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol medicine.

Cholesterol medicine can be effective combined when combined with diet and exercise at lowering cholesterol levels. Cholesterol medicine is usually fall into one of the following types: niacin, fibric acid derivatives, bile-acid resins and the most popular are called statins. Statins work by blocking the production of cholesterol in your liver. Bad cholesterol and triglycerides can be lowered and in some instances good cholesterol can be increased.

However, like all drugs cholesterol medicine, regardless of the type, do cause side effects. A few of the most common are intestinal problems and liver damage while a less common side effect is muscle tenderness.

Nicotinic acid or niacin is a B-vitamin. This cholesterol medicine is a natural ingredient found in some food and it's also added to some manufactured foods. Higher doses can be prescribed. Niacin lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol but it also has side effects that include itching, flushing, headache and tingling. Cholesterol and bile are both produced in your liver while bile-acid resins work within the intestine.

Bile is composed mostly of cholesterol. A healthy body makes good cholesterol, incorporates it into the bile, which travels into the intestine to be reabsorbed for distribution throughout the bloodstream. Bile-acid resins bind to bile to prevent reabsorption. Side effects include gas and stomach upset and constipation. Fibrates limit production of triglycerides and can help increase good cholesterol.

Common side effects of all cholesterol medicine include allergic reactions, digestive problems and muscle aches. Muscle aches signal the most dangerous side effect of cholesterol medicine. Immediately see your doctor is you experience them. In most instances, you shouldn't be taking more than one type of cholesterol medicine at a time but if you are you should also be using anticoagulants. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with the metabolization of cholesterol medicine.

In summary, cholesterol medicine can help maintain a healthy life but you should give natural methods a thorough try before turning to them because of the side effects of the cost.

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