Keeping Healthy Cholesterol Levels (Year 7, 2024)

Even though it was quite a number of years ago, I still remember the day rather vividly.

There was an envelope in my pigeonhole, and it contained my blood test results.

It was nothing more than a regular test sponsored by the company that I was working at, but it threw up some unexpected cholesterol results.

Turns out that my total cholesterol and LDL levels were rather high. Not just a little high, but WAY higher than expected.

Strange enough, my HDL and triglyceride levels were pretty optimal as well.

Even if we are under 40 with a relatively healthy lifestyle, the cruel reality is that one can never beat the DNA lottery.

Nobody likes nasty surprises like this, so it was only natural that I went into damage-control mode.

What would be the fastest and easiest way to fix this problem?

A visit to the polyclinic resulted in a short cycle of statins – drugs that are extremely effective at helping to lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood.

However, I wasn’t about to throw in the towel and start relying 100% on medication.

Fast-forward to 2024, and my blood test results for cholesterol levels are currently back in the “desirable” range.

My search for natural remedies eventually led me to a health supplement called red yeast rice.

Red yeast rice is produced by fermenting a type of yeast called Monascus Purpureus on rice.

During fermentation, the yeast produces a variety of compounds, including monacolins – a group of compounds that have been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

The most common Monacolin in red yeast rice is Monacolin K, which is structurally identical to the prescription drug Lovastatin.

A common safety concern associated with red yeast rice products is that they can contain a contaminant known as citrinin, which is toxic.

This is why I was particularly careful when choosing the brand of red yeast rice supplement.

Long story short, I decided to go with Eu Yan Sang CholesFREE Plus (which also contains nattokinase) because it is a Singapore brand, and more importantly, the preparation technique developed jointly with Nanyang Polytechnic retains the active compounds and simultaneously improves the purity of the red yeast rice.

Basically, it is able to retain the Monacolin K needed for supporting healthy cholesterol levels while, at the same time, removing the impurities that cause herb-drug interactions and potential side effects.

While red yeast rice is popular in Asia, another natural supplement that is more common in Europe and Western countries is Bergamot.

Clinical trials demonstrated its ability to lower LDL and triglyceride levels while raising HDL levels.

Coupled with lifestyle changes such as healthier food (e.g. meal prep), more exercise and better sleep, my lipid test results have improved and maintained their progress over time.

Once in a while, I would update this cholesterol-specific blog post but I would like to emphasize that I am rather open-minded when it comes to the different schools of thought regarding the idea of cholesterol.

Cholesterol is essential to many functions in our body, but I believe in moderation. Too much of anything is usually not good.

Ironically, an often-overlooked metric is the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol – which some believe to be a better indicator – which would have me pegged in the optimal range in the past.

Like myself, my brother also has high cholesterol levels based on traditional ways of measuring what is considered ideal and optimal. Likewise, he is also taking CholesFREE to support his cholesterol health as well.

If cholesterol levels are a problem that is also bugging you, perhaps this blog post might offer you a different perspective since I have been personally using it for a few years.

Moving forward, I plan to continue my annual lipid panels (blood test and review) at the polyclinic just 5 minutes away from where I stay for just $26.

Health is wealth, and I would rather spend a little time and money to nip the problem in the bud when I still can.

Did you know that you can access lab test results on Health Hub?

HealthHub retrieves our lab test results from the medical record systems of public healthcare institutions in Singapore.

However, results are only available for general lab tests and COVID-19 tests.

We can view lab test results from the past, like what you see in the screenshot below.

This means that I already know my results (just two days after the blood test) even before the doctor’s review, which is usually pretty standard fare.

The main purpose of the doctor’s review (usually one week after the blood test) is to get the doctor to input into the system that next year’s blood test is required so that I can get a lab test form, after which I can make an appointment for 2025.

I like to stock up on health supplements when there are mega sales or discounts.

You can find those easily on platforms such as Lazada or Shopee.

In my case, I got it directly from Eu Yan Sang since they run so many sales events throughout the year.

A year’s supply of CholesFREE can be purchased for as low as $25 per box (60 capsules each month) when it usually retails at $42.90 – an attractive 42% discount.

Why spend more when we don’t have to?