Medical Condition Pure Hypercholesterolemia

Source:

2009 icd-9-cm diagnosis 272.0 - pure hypercholesterolemia

Active Ingredients used for Pure Hypercholesterolemia:

Zinc, Creatine, Melatonin, Spirulina, Vitamin B12, Arginine, Elder, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Garlic, Alfalfa, Soy, Wild Yam

Active Ingredient	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
alfalfa (medicago sativa l.)	reductions in blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") have been reported in animal studies and in a small number of human cases. high-density lipoprotein ("good cholesterol") has not been altered in these cases. although this evidence is promising, better research is needed before a firm conclusion can be reached.	c
arginine (l-arginine)	some research suggests that arginine may help treat or prevent high cholesterol. more research is needed.	c
creatine	early studies did not find a benefit of creatine in the treatment of high cholesterol. more studies are needed before a clear conclusion can be drawn.	c
danshen (salvia miltiorrhiza)	early studies suggest that danshen may improve blood levels of cholesterol (lowers ldl or "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides and raises hdl or "good" cholesterol). large high-quality studies are needed before a strong recommendation may be made.	c
elder (sambucus nigra l.)	reliable human evidence is currently unavailable evaluating elder alone as a treatment for high cholesterol. early study reports that elderberry juice may decrease serum cholesterol concentrations and increase low-density lipoprotein (ldl or "bad" cholesterol) stability. additional research is needed in this area before a firm conclusion can be reached. elder should not be used in the place of other more proven therapies, and patients are advised to discuss with their primary healthcare provider	c
garlic (allium sativum l.)	multiple studies in humans have reported small reductions in total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins ("bad cholesterol") over short periods of time (4 to 12 weeks). it is not clear if there are benefits after this amount of time. effects on high-density lipoproteins ("good cholesterol") are not clear. this remains an area of controversy. well-designed and longer studies are needed in this area.	b
garlic (allium sativum l.)	familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder in which very high cholesterol levels run in families. research in children with an inherited form of high cholesterol suggests that garlic does not have a large effect on lowering cholesterol levels in these patients.	c
ginseng (american ginseng, asian ginseng, chinese ginseng, korean red ginseng, panax ginseng: panax spp. including p. ginseng c.c. meyer and p. quinquefolius l., excluding eleutherococcus senticosus)	several low-quality studies have examined the effects of panax ginseng on cholesterol levels. results are mixed. more studies are needed to understand the effects of ginseng on cholesterol levels.	c
green tea (camellia sinensis)	laboratory studies, animal studies, and limited human research suggest possible effects of green tea on cholesterol levels. better human evidence is necessary in this area.	c
lactobacillus acidophilus	there is conflicting information from several human studies regarding the effects of lactobacillus acidophilus- enriched dairy products on lowering blood levels of total cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol").	c
melatonin	one clinical trial found that melatonin when used with zinc and the diabetes drug, metformin, may improve diabetes-related complications such as impaired lipid profile. however, there is also evidence that melatonin will increase cholesterol levels. more research is needed to clarify mixed results.	c
niacin (vitamin b3, nicotinic acid), niacinamide	niacin is a well-accepted treatment for high cholesterol. multiple studies show that niacin (not niacinamide) has significant benefits on levels of high-density cholesterol (hdl or "good cholesterol"), with better results than prescription drugs such as "statins" like atorvastatin (lipitor ). there are also benefits on levels of low-density cholesterol (ldl or "bad cholesterol"), although these effects are less dramatic. adding niacin to a second drug such as a statin may increase the effects on	a
omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acid	although fish oil is able to reduce triglycerides, beneficial effects on blood cholesterol levels have not been demonstrated. fish oil supplements appear to cause small improvements in high-density lipoprotein ("good cholesterol"); however, increases (worsening) in low-density lipoprotein levels ("bad cholesterol") are also observed. fish oil does not appear to affect c-reactive protein (crp) levels.	d
pantothenic acid (vitamin b5), dexpanthenol	pantothenic acid itself has not been shown to have any cholesterol-lowering effects. however, a chemical derivative of pantothenic acid called pantethine has been studied for this purpose, with compelling preliminary evidence in humans.	c
psyllium (plantago ovata, plantago isphagula)	psyllium is well studied as a lipid-lowering agent with generally modest reductions seen in blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol"). effects have been observed following eight weeks of regular use. psyllium does not appear to have significant effects on high-density lipoprotein ("good cholesterol") or triglyceride levels. because only small reductions have been observed, people with high cholesterol should discuss the use of more potent agents with their	a
pycnogenolâ® (pinus pinaster ssp. atlantica)	pycnogenol may reduce low-density lipoprotein (ldl/"bad cholesterol") levels and increase high-density lipoprotein (hdl/"good cholesterol") levels. however, some studies have reported decreases in total cholesterol and ldl levels with no change in hdl. due to conflicting data, further studies are necessary.	c
red yeast rice (monascus purpureus)	since the 1970s, human studies have reported that red yeast lowers blood levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein/ldl ("bad cholesterol"), and triglyceride levels. other products containing red yeast rice extract can still be purchased, mostly over the internet. however, these products may not be standardized and effects are not predictable. for lowering cholesterol, there is better evidence for using prescription drugs such as lovastatin.	a
soy (glycine max [l. merr.)]	numerous human studies report that adding soy protein to the diet can moderately decrease blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol). small reductions in triglycerides may also occur, while high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol) does not seem to be significantly altered. some scientists have proposed that specific components of soybean, such as the isoflavones genistein and daidzein, may be responsible for the cholesterol-lowering properties of soy.	a
spirulina	in animal studies, spirulina has been found to lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. preliminary poor-quality studies in humans suggest a similar effect. better research is needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn.	c
sweet almond (prunus amygdalus dulcis)	early studies in humans and animals report that whole almonds may lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (ldl/"bad" cholesterol) and raise high-density lipoprotein (hdl/"good" cholesterol"). it is not clear what dose may be safe or effective.	b
turmeric (curcuma longa linn.) and curcumin	early studies suggest that turmeric may lower levels of low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") and total cholesterol in the blood. better human studies are needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
vitamin b12	some evidence suggests that vitamin b12 in combination with fish oil might be superior to fish oil alone when used daily to reduce total serum cholesterol and triglycerides. well-designed clinical trials of vitamin b12 supplementation alone are needed before a conclusion can be drawn.	c
white horehound (marrubium vulgare l.)	early study shows that white horehound may lower cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
wild yam (dioscorea villosa)	animal studies have shown that wild yam can reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the gut. early studies in humans have shown changes in the levels of certain sub-types of cholesterol, including decreases in low-density lipoprotein (ldl, or "bad cholesterol") and triglycerides and increases in high-density lipoprotein (hdl, or "good cholesterol"). however, no changes in the total amount of blood cholesterol have been found. more studies are needed in this area.	c
zinc	zinc may improve blood cholesterol levels in hemodialysis patients. there is some evidence that zinc may improve cholesterol ratio of hdl "good cholesterol" versus ldl "bad cholesterol," which would be considered a positive effect. well-designed clinical trials are needed before a strong recommendation can be made.	b

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.