The best tool to lower LDL (and raise HDL) is niacin. Better than statins -- and without the long-term side effects such as muscle weakness and neuropathy. There is the flush, of course, but it only lasts an hour or so, and it calms down by 80% or 90% within a month or so.
If I told you all the benefits of niacin you would think I was nuts, but the scientific literature shows that niacin is good for almost whatever ails you -- and whatever you don't want to ail you in the future.
If you were around during "niatonin" and the many other experiments to find the optimum nutrients to complement niacin, you'll be glad to know that the niacin protocol has settled down to three ingredients: niacin (pure nicotinic acid), glutamine (in a special form), and folic acid (not one of the "folate" forms).
A good starting point for most people is:
The best (really, the only) place to order the first two ingredients is PureBulk.com. They have the purest ingredients of anyone around. (Niacin, Glutamine -- get the 500-mg capsules. Preferably the gel caps, but the veg caps are better than nothing. Use DMITRYKATS code at checkout to save 10%, except on the niacin, which is already 50% off.) You can also get folic acid from them, but only in powder form. Unless the lab-tech force is strong in you, you don't really want to be trying to measure out 2 mg of powdered folic acid, so Dr. Clark folic acid is a better alternative for most.
(Niacin guru Dmitry Kats recommends these precise proportions: 1 g niacin : 1.53 g glutamine : 1.22 mg folic acid. I'd rather see you get started on this and then optimize, if and when you choose. All three of these nutrients are good for your body -- the combination is even better -- and all of these doses (even 10X) are well within the safe zones.)
Thank you for the great information. I have heard of flush niacin before. I want to avoid taking any drugs, in this case a statin drug...no thanks on that, Big Pharma.
Niacin and possible liver damage https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548176/