Your cholesterol levels are heavily influenced by your food. Most people will have elevated imbalanced cholesterol levels as a result of eating too many calories and unhealthy saturated fats, as well as too much sugar and carbs.

Let's say you've already tried eating oatmeal and other high-fiber meals, as well as fish and flaxseeds for their omega-3s, you've cut out trans fats and minimized saturated fats, and you exercise on a daily basis. Perhaps you've even lost weight, which might help your lipids (cholesterol or blood fats) improve. Your doctor has now advised you to take a statin medicine to decrease your cholesterol. You, on the other hand, do not want to take another prescription medication.

What else should you try before taking statins? Dietary supplements are available over-the-counter. First, consult your doctor about whether you can use these supplements to treat high cholesterol levels. 

1. Soluble fiber 
What if you can't eat oatmeal and beans on a daily basis? Take a fiber supplement with soluble fiber. They don't even have to be taken as capsules. Stir (the powdered supplement) into juices, yogurt, and other foods to easily include them into your diet. Also, beta-glucans are a form of soluble fiber to consider. They're found in oats, yeast, and mushrooms, and they're also available as a supplement. According to a meta-analysis of controlled trials employing oat beta-glucan supplements, a daily intake of 3.5 grams effectively reduced LDL cholesterol as well as apoB (apolipoprotein B), the artery-clogging portion of cholesterol.

2. Garlic 
Fresh garlic has long been shown in studies to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, but a therapeutic quantity of garlic can also be taken as a supplement. Aim for at least 6,000 mcg of allicin (a garlic amino acid) every day, which is around 4 garlic cloves. Garlic has a blood-thinning effect, so if you're on blood thinners, you shouldn't take it in excessive doses.

3. Niacin 
Niacin, a B vitamin that has been demonstrated to lower bad cholesterol and increase good HDL, is one of the most popular supplements. You can get it from your doctor or buy it over the counter. Niacin also helps to lower triglycerides, a type of blood fat linked to heart disease. The vitamin functions by containing lipoproteins, which are released from fat tissue triglycerides. One thing to keep in mind is that certain amounts of niacin might produce skin flushing and itching, which is unpleasant but not harmful.

4. Vitamins and phytonutrients 
You may have heard that antioxidant vitamins protect cells from oxidative damage caused by oxygen-containing free radical molecules, which raise your risk for a variety of chronic ailments ranging from obesity to heart disease. They help decrease cholesterol, which is one of the ways they fight heart disease.

5. Green tea extract 
A cup of tea is a good natural way to lower LDL cholesterol. Drinking many cups of tea each day has been demonstrated to reduce LDL cholesterol in epidemiological research. However, you don't need to steep to receive the advantages; simply take a green tea supplement. 

People with moderately high cholesterol who took a supplement comprising extracts of certain teas, particularly green teas, for 12 weeks saw a 16 percent reduction in their LDL "bad" cholesterol, according to a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Green tea also had heart-health benefits, according to a meta-analysis of 31 trials involving 3,321 people. Green tea consumption was linked to decreased total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in that study, but it had no effect on HDL cholesterol.

6. Omega-3 fatty acids 
Many individuals think of fish oil as the first supplement they think of when they have high cholesterol (omega-3 fatty acids). While there are heart-health benefits to taking this supplement, there isn't enough research to suggest that it is directly associated with cholesterol reduction. Studies on fish oil supplements aren't conclusive on their benefits, owing to the fact that they don't take into account the participants' total nutrition and lifestyle choices, but fish oil is undeniably heart-healthy.

7. Plant sterols 
Phytosterols are plant chemicals found in many vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and seeds that partially prevent cholesterol absorption in the digestive tract, resulting in less cholesterol entering the bloodstream. Phytosterol supplements should be taken two to three times a day, just before or with meals and snacks.