A pharmaceutical composition consisting essentially of pharmaceutically effective amount of an N-substituted fatty acid amide of the formula, ##EQU1## wherein R is a C.sub.13 - C.sub.25 aliphatic hydrocarbon chain or a C.sub.13 - C.sub.25 hydroxylated aliphatic hydrocarbon chain and RCO-- is other than isostearoyl; R' is d- or l-.alpha.-C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkylbenzyl, racemic-, d- or l-.alpha.-C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkylbenzyl substituted in the benzene ring with one or two substituents selected from the group consisting of C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkoxy, halogen and nitro, or racemic-, d- or l-.alpha.-benzylbenzyl; R" is hydrogen; or R' and R" together are cyclohexyl; and when RCO-- is isotearoyl R' is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, alkylcycloalkyl, hydroxycycloalkyl, alkoxycycloalkyl, alkylphenyl, hydroxyphenyl, alkoxyphenyl, halogenophenyl, halogen-alkyl-substituted phenyl, halogenoalkyl- and halogen-substituted phenyl, alkoxy- and halogen-substituted phenyl, benzyl, racemic-, d- or l-.alpha.-C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkylbenzyl, benzyl substituted in the benzene ring with lower alkyl or lower alkoxy, racemic-, d- or l-.alpha.-benzylbenzyl or hydroxybenzyl, and R" is hydrogen or any one of the groups represented by R', and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, which is useful for lowering elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood.