I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. I am not a doctor; please consult your practitioner before changing your supplement or healthcare regimen. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In this post, The Easiest High Cholesterol Solution: Activated Charcoal, we look at the simplest, gentlest and easiest solution for high cholesterol.
How does activated charcoal work to reduce cholesterol
Activated charcoal has long been used in medicine for its ability to bind substances in the gastrointestinal tract and remove them from the body. Less well known is its potential role in lowering cholesterol, particularly when compared with bile-acid–binding drugs such as cholestyramine.
Research examining activated charcoal in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia (high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood) suggests it to be a simple, effective and well-tolerated approach for reducing total and LDL cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol is not simply a dietary problem; it is primarily made by the body as a protective lipid–protein compound. One of the main ways cholesterol is regulated is through bile acids, which are produced from cholesterol in the liver, released into the gut and normally reabsorbed.
When substances such as activated charcoal bind bile acids in the intestine and carry them out of the body in stool, the liver must use more cholesterol to make new bile acids. As a result, circulating cholesterol levels decline.
Studies on charcoal’s cholesterol lowering abilities
Several studies demonstrate this effect clearly. In a dose-response trial titled, Activated charcoal in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia, higher doses of charcoal produced progressively greater reductions in cholesterol.
Total and LDL cholesterol decreased by as much as 29% to 41% within just three weeks. At the same time, HDL cholesterol — the so-called “good” cholesterol — increased by approximately 8%, improving the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol by as much as 121%.
This improvement in the “good-to-bad” cholesterol ratio is considered a positive cardiovascular marker.
Side effects in these studies were reported as negligible, particularly when compared with pharmaceutical alternatives. (The main thing is to stay regular: Use more magnesium, or eat more high fiber foods, to be sure you’re having bowel movements each day.)
Further evidence comes from a study of patients with more severe hypercholesterolemia. In this group, activated charcoal reduced total and LDL cholesterol by 23% and 29%, respectively.
Cholestyramine produced somewhat larger reductions — 31% and 39% — but with an important difference: Serum triglycerides increased with cholestyramine, while they did not increase with charcoal.
When researchers combined the two treatments, cholesterol levels dropped by similar amounts, but cholestyramine still had a less favorable side-effect profile.
Why charcoal isn’t used more often for high cholesterol
This comparison raises an obvious question: If activated charcoal works so much better than cholestyramine and causes fewer side effects, why don’t more people use it?
One reason may be that charcoal is not patentable, making it less attractive for large-scale pharmaceutical promotion. Another is that it requires careful timing, as it can bind medications if used improperly. (Take activated charcoal 2 to 3 hours before or after meds.)
Finally, modern cholesterol management has focused heavily on drug-based approaches rather than mechanical or binding strategies in the gut.
Conclusion
In summary, activated charcoal has demonstrated meaningful, if not amazing, cholesterol-lowering effects in clinical studies, comparable in many cases to cholestyramine, with fewer reported side effects and no rise in triglycerides. While it requires thoughtful use, research suggests it offers a compelling, underappreciated and quite possibly life-changing tool for cholesterol management.
What’s next?: Dose and kind of activated charcoal
This article tells you which activated charcoal works the best and shares dosing.
What else
As this study shows, vitamin A is found inside cholesterol. As discussed in this article, mounting evidence suggests vitamin A reaches toxic levels in the liver in more of the population than previously suspected. If you have high cholesterol, note that LDL cholesterol is your body’s way of protecting you from vitamin A toxicity. Elevated levels indicate your body’s toxicity level. So we can reassess: Is it the cholesterol itself that’s bad? Or is it what the cholesterol contains?
What to do? Consider a low vitamin A diet, that includes a low copper diet (both toxins detox from the liver at the same time). Watch, with the diet and use of activated charcoal, your cholesterol levels go down.
Over the last six years, I’ve enjoyed seeing so many testimonies of people who went from Ancestral, WAPF, “Eat the Rainbow”, Paleo or Keto style eating to Low vitamin A, and their cholesterol levels went down without any additional effort on their part. The same is true for those who eat a standard American diet (and maybe add Accutane, fish oil pills or a multivitamin) and switch to Low vitamin A.
Lastly
Super low cholesterol isn’t usually a good sign either, and researchers have linked it to mental health disorders like schizophrenia. In this case, the body can not make enough cholesterol to protect itself from toxins like vitamin A.
Additional sources: 1 (0:26:19)
Related articles
- Vitamin A Detox Diet
- Anti-Inflammatory Foods List (with free Printable PDF)
- MSG: A Misunderstood Nutrient with Potential Health Benefits
- What’s Inside Tumors: Heavy Metals (and what to do about it)
- How to Detox the Toxins in Joints (to reduce joint pain)
Pin The Easiest High Cholesterol Solution: Activated Charcoal here:
Leave a Reply