Table 2 Advantages and disadvantages of administering dietary supplements treating hypercholesterolemia

Food could possibly be considered more as a remedy or supporter of healing processes.

DSs have been well studied and if taken regularly, they positively influence patients’ cholesterol levels.

No need for doctors

No control

No regulations

The DSs are freely marketable and available in the nearest health food store or online.

There is documentation and studies regarding the administration of DSs to lower cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol.

Dietary supplements (DSs), synergistically matched in combination, produce better results in reducing blood lipid levels than single agents.

Side effects are not known; rarely, digestive, or upper abdominal discomfort occurs

The field of DSs is rather confusing; the concentration and quality of active ingredients are subject to a wide range of variation.

Possible lack of medical supervision regarding the necessity of intake, adherence to intake, and the consequences of possible self-therapy.

Lack of quality control, the large number of manufacturers, and possible impurities in the DSs also have a negative effect.

Many of the researched and selected studies deal with combinations of active ingredients. Single preparations already contain more than the pure active ingredient.

The validity of the studies could be strengthened by increasing the number of subjects and dividing the subjects into smaller groups.

The data situation is currently not sufficient to consider the administration of nutritional supplements to be sensible in the case of cholesterol levels in the range of medium hypercholesterolemia.