A patient-proven ten-step plan to take control of your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease without drugs, from renowned nutrition and fitness expert Dr. Janet Brill.

For the millions of people with high cholesterol, statins are often the first-line treatment. While these medications are effective for many, they come with unpleasant side effects and need to be taken for life. Patients who want to reduce their dosage or the need to take them altogether have another option: the Cholesterol Down Plan from registered dietitian and nutritionist Dr. Janet Brill.

Featuring her best cholesterol-reduction tactics, Dr. Brill’s breakthrough program can lower your LDL cholesterol as much as 47 percent in just four weeks. The key is to incorporate six heart-healthy foods and two supplements into your diet, along with easy-to-follow strategies for eating fewer calories and enjoying more movement. In this fully revised edition of Dr. Brill’s classic book, she explains the ten “prescriptions” of her powerful plan and the latest science behind cholesterol-lowering lifestyle changes, including:

• How whole grains, psyllium husk, and phytosterols help reduce LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream
• How everyday staples, such as oatmeal and apples, slow the absorption of cholesterol in your digestive tract
• Why reducing your caloric intake is key for cholesterol reduction and may even improve your longevity—no restrictive diets needed
• Why walking thirty minutes a day cuts dangerous cholesterol-raising belly fat

With everything you need to stay focused, including a daily checklist, a six-month chart for tracking LDL levels, sample menus, and seventy-five delicious heart-healthy recipes, Cholesterol Down offers a safe, effective alternative or complement to statins.

Introduction

My father died prematurely of a heart attack, so when my doctor told me during a routine physical examination in 2004 that my LDL or “bad” cholesterol had reached a dangerously high level, I had cause for immediate concern.

As a nutritionist and marathon runner with an active lifestyle and healthy plant-based diet, I was shocked to find myself among the 105 million Americans who suffer from high cholesterol. Furthermore, as a woman, I assumed my gender would protect me—at least until after menopause. But the truth is that no one is safe. Genes as much as lifestyle factor into cholesterol levels, and everyone is vulnerable.

Statin drugs are the most common treatment for rapidly reducing cholesterol—though they are notorious for their safety concerns and long list of potential side effects, confirmed to me in many anecdotes told by my patients over the years. I’ve always been reluctant to take prescription medicines, and when my doctor suggested that I begin statin treatment immediately, I knew there had to be a better way—a healthier, drug-free plan for lowering LDL cholesterol.

So I began developing a diet and exercise prescription, based on a mixture of foods scientifically proven to effectively lower LDL cholesterol, experimenting on myself and willing patients. I was amazed to find that after several months on this program, my “bad” cholesterol had dropped from 160 mg/dL to 107 mg/dL, a 33 percent reduction! Further research revealed that even a remarkably short four-week time frame was sufficient to promote a significant drop in LDL cholesterol.

Several of my patients tried my four-week plan with incredible results. One patient lowered her LDL cholesterol 71 points, from 211 mg/dL to 140 mg/dL (a 34 percent reduction). A young man with a strong family history of heart disease lowered his “bad” cholesterol from 150 mg/dL to 80 mg/dL (an astonishing 47 percent drop in LDL cholesterol). These results are comparable to those achieved after a starting dose of a statin drug—only without the side effects.

This safe and easy-to-follow plan has yielded such miraculous results that I decided to write a how-to book that others could benefit from. Cholesterol Down is the result—a clear, practical, drug-free cholesterol-lowering plan based on solid scientific research.

Statin Drugs: What are the side effects?

“My muscles and joints ached so much that I couldn’t get out of bed and walk across the room! My doctor took me off Lipitor and tried two more statin drugs, but I just couldn’t stand the side effects.” A patient shared this story with me, driving home the fact that some individuals do experience intolerable side effects from taking statin drugs. Here is a list of the most commonly reported adverse side effects:

• Headache.
• Gastrointestinal complaints (nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation).
• Fatigue, flu-like symptoms.
• Elevated liver enzymes called transaminases (a potentially serious side effect).
• Myalgia. Muscle soreness, weakness, or pain without an associated elevation of creatine kinase (a muscle enzyme detected in the bloodstream).
• Myopathy (severe myositis or inflammation of the muscle). Muscle aches or weakness with an associated elevation of creatine kinase.
• Rhabdomyolysis (serious myopathy). Muscle aches or weakness with a marked elevation of creatine kinase and other muscle enzymes. In addition, in this rare but severe and life-threatening side effect, the muscle cells break down and release myoglobin (a muscle protein) into the bloodstream. This can result in kidney malfunction and ultimately kidney failure.

Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RDN, FAND, is a registered dietitian/nutritionist in private practice, certified personal trainer, and wellness coach, specializing in cardiovascular disease prevention. She was a former adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami. Her research on the cholesterol-lowering effects of her healthy lifestyle program has been published in the International Journal of Obesity. Dr. Brill currently resides in Pennsylvania.