- The first line of defense against heart disease is vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. Try getting anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 milligrams a day to reduce the oxidation of LDL and prevent heart disease. You can take any type of vitamin C, but the best is a form called ester-C. This form of vitamin C is not as irritating to the digestive tract as other forms are.

- Vitamin E is just as powerful as vitamin C. The ideal dose of this antioxidant to help prevent cholesterol from oxidizing is about eight hundred international units daily. Try using vitamin E supplements that are natural, and not synthetic.

- Vitamin E and C are at their most effectiveness when the body has a high level of glutathione. Your doctor can run tests to measure the levels of glutathione in your body. If they’re low, try taking a supplement called n-acetylcysteine (NAC), which helps build and conserve your body’s store of glutathione.

However, the body does not do an adequate job of absorbing most of the glutathione supplements out there. Fortunately, NAC, which is a form of the amino acid cysteine, provides the correct chemical forerunner, which allows your body to create glutathione. Take at least three thousand milligrams daily.

To prevent heart disease, it is crucial to stop the oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein). Therefore, if there is less LDL cholesterol in your body, then there is less to oxidize, which makes reducing LDL an important step.

In addition, it is important to increase the HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your body, which is the good cholesterol. HDL transfers the LDL from your arteries back to your liver. Fortunately, there are numerous amounts of supplements and herbs that help lower LDL, while raising HDL, or accomplish both at the same time.

- Niacin is a strong B vitamin and natural medicine that helps to lower LDL cholesterol. Try taking fifteen hundred milligrams of niacin a day in the form of inositol hexanicotinate. Unlike other forms of niacin, this form does not cause the tingling, itchy, hot rush of blood to the face and upper body known as flushing.

According to many natural health physicians, this vitamin is as effective as any cholesterol lowering medicine on the market. However, before taking niacin, consult with your doctor, because niacin in high levels can harm the liver.

- Selenium, which is a trace mineral, is very helpful in controlling cholesterol. It does it in three ways: one, it increases the levels of glutathione in the body. Two, it works independently to lower LDL. Three, it increases the healthy cholesterol (HDL). It is crucial that you incorporate selenium in any cholesterol-lowering program.

- Two minerals that are highly effective in lowering cholesterol are zinc and copper. They increase HDL and reduce LDL. Try taking thirty milligrams of zinc and one to two milligrams of copper daily, if possible as part of a multivitamin or mineral supplement.