Final Thoughts On Kitchen Herbs To Lower Cholesterol
The management of high cholesterol may be as easy as getting in the kitchen, and adding some spices and herbs to lower cholesterol to your meals. Use this article as a guide to which herbs and spices could lower your high cholesterol.
My favorites of the cholesterol-lowering herbs featured include garlic, ginger, thyme, dill, sage, oregano, cilantro, and turmeric.
In total, this article included 22 incredibly powerful and delicious spices and herbs that studies show have a direct effect on lowering your cholesterol levels. Furthermore, herbs and spices may be a far safer way to lower cholesterol than statin drug therapy, and they also come with fewer side effects.
Just be sure to check with your doctor before discontinuing any prescription drug regimen, and beware of any potential allergens or medication interactions.
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Nuts And Seeds: Full Of Protein Plus Good Fat
Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are all excellent , heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. When substituted for saturated fat in the diet, nuts and seeds help lower LDL cholesterol without affecting levels of good high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It’s good to know that by eating nuts you cut your heart disease risk. Since nuts and seeds are calorie-dense, you’ll need to limit your daily intake to about 1 ounce and also make sure the nuts aren’t salted or coated with sugar.
Cholesterol Control: 4 Natural Statins
Overview
Having high cholesterol puts you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Thats why its important to have your levels checked regularly and to develop a treatment plan with your doctor.
While there are several cholesterol-lowering drugs on the market, there are also natural alternatives. If youd like to try lowering your cholesterol without medication, talk with your doctor about dietary changes and natural supplements.
Research has shown that the drugs are effective in preventing heart disease. They work by blocking your body from using a substance in your liver to make cholesterol. Some statins are also able to help reduce the cholesterol thats already started to form in your blood vessels.
Your body needs some cholesterol. However, too much low-density lipoprotein cholesterol also called bad cholesterol in your blood will cause blockages in your blood vessels.
This can lead to a heart attack or stroke. If youre unable to lower your cholesterol with diet and exercise, your doctor may prescribe statins.
Statins come in pill form and are available by prescription only. Your doctor will typically prescribe a statin if:
- your LDL cholesterol levels are above 100 mg/dL and arent getting lower with lifestyle changes
- you have a higher risk of developing heart disease
- youve already had a heart attack or stroke
There are seven statin-category drugs available in the United States:
- atorvastatin
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Consult Your Doctor Before Using These Natural Cholesterol Lowering Supplements To Avoid Potential Unpleasant Side Effects
No matter how effective a supplement is, it is important that you check with a doctor before taking them. The reason for this is that some of the cholesterol lowering supplements mentioned above, while being incredibly effective and made from natural ingredients, may be too strong for your body to handle.
For example, the monacolin in the red yeast rice mimics the properties of statins, including the side effects. You may also have an allergy or intolerance to certain ingredients, and the results or side effects could be dangerous.
For this reason, it is important that you consult your doctor before taking any supplements, as that will help you to avoid any negative results or risks of these natural cholesterol lowering supplements.
Does Lifestyle Affect Cholesterol
An active lifestyle that includes daily physical activity is crucial to a healthy metabolism. Most who are capable of doing so should aim to reach at least 10,000 steps per day. This can be done in the form of walking, hiking, jogging, or running. Resistance training using weights can be beneficial in not only maintaining muscle strength but also in helping with postural stability and bone health.
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Best Foods To Lower Cholesterol And Blood Pressure
One of the major reasons for high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure is unhealthy eating. There are many foods which can cause elevated cholesterol levels and can increase your blood pressure. Good thing is you can lower cholesterol and blood pressure by eating the right foods. LDL is the bad cholesterol. It can clog the blood vessels and is harmful for your body. To control your cholesterol levels cut back on the foods containing high amounts of LDL.
Supplement Myth #: Fish Oil Does Wonders For Heart Health
While some physicians recommend the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil capsules for patients, several recent clinical trials have put the supplements star status into question, says Seth Martin, M.D., a cardiologist and associate professor at John Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. Results showed that fish oil failed to reduce cardiovascular risk and actually increased the risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke over time, says Martin.
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Which Foods Can Lower Cholesterol The Most
Rather than focusing on one or two foods to lower cholesterol, including several foods that lower cholesterol in different ways is more beneficial. The main dietary components of a heart-healthy diet include plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of highly refined ones, lean protein, and healthy fats instead of saturated and trans fats.
Additionally, consuming foods or supplements fortified with plant sterols and stanols can help lower cholesterol.
Enjoy Lots Of Fruits And Vegetables
Eating fruits and vegetables is an easy way to lower LDL cholesterol levels.
Studies show that adults who consume at least four servings of fruits and vegetables each day have roughly 6% lower LDL cholesterol levels than people who eat fewer than two servings per day .
Fruits and vegetables also contain high numbers of antioxidants, which prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and forming plaques in your arteries .
Together, these cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant effects can reduce your risk of heart disease.
Research has found that people who eat the most fruits and vegetables have a 17% lower risk of developing heart disease over 10 years compared to those who eat the fewest .
Summary Eating at least four servings of fruits and vegetables daily can lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce LDL oxidation, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.
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Cholesterol Lowering Supplements #: Garlic To Lower Cholesterol
Another of the excellent cholesterol lowering supplements that you can take is garlic, either in clove form, extract form, or pill form.
In fact, most doctors not only recommend garlic to lower cholesterol, but also to help improve overall heart health. As far as healthy supplements or foods go, garlic is near the top of the list.
What makes garlic so special?
One of the best things about garlic is that it helps to thin out the blood. This comes in very handy when you have high blood pressure, as the thinning of your blood helps to reduce your hypertension.
However, thinning out your blood also helps to reduce your cholesterol, thanks to the allicin in the garlic. You can prevent clots from forming thanks to the fact that your blood is thinner, and thus you run a much lower risk of serious cholesterol-related problems developing.
You can seriously reduce your LDL cholesterol levels thanks to the garlic, and you can also cause your HDL cholesterol levels to be increased.
Garlic packs a powerful punch against cholesterol, vampires, and enemies, and adding a bit of fresh garlic or garlic extract to your diet will help you to fight your cholesterol.
Another minor benefit of garlic is that it helps to round out the flavors in your food, and everyone knows that a rich, tasty meal will fill you up much faster than a bland one.
Thanks to the garlic in your food, you can feel less hungry, and thus you will be able to stop yourself from eating or drinking things that you shouldnt .
Consider Plant Sterols And Stanols
Multiple types of supplements show promise for managing cholesterol.
Plant stanols and sterols are plant versions of cholesterol. Because they resemble cholesterol, they are absorbed from the diet like cholesterol.
However, because parts of their chemistry are different from human cholesterol, they do not contribute to clogged arteries.
Instead, they reduce cholesterol levels by competing with human cholesterol. When plant sterols are absorbed from the diet, this replaces the absorption of cholesterol.
Small amounts of plant stanols and sterols are naturally found in vegetable oils and are added to certain oils and butter substitutes.
A research review reported that clinical studies show that taking 1.53 grams of plant sterols/stanols daily can reduce LDL concentration by 7.512%. Researchers said taking it with a main meal twice per day allows for optimal cholesterol-lowering .
Although research has established the cholesterol-lowering benefit of plant stanols and sterols, it has not yet proved that they decrease the risk of heart disease. Numerous clinical trials have suggested that plant sterols supplements and enriched foods may lower heart disease risk, but hard data is still lacking .
summary
Plant stanols and sterols in vegetable oil or margarines compete with cholesterol absorption and reduce LDL by up to 20%. They are not proven to reduce heart disease.
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Foods That Lower Cholesterol
A persons diet plays a crucial role in how healthy their cholesterol levels are. Eating foods that keep cholesterol within a healthy range can help prevent health issues, including a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that travels through the bloodstream as a part of two different lipoproteins: low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein .
People sometimes refer to LDL cholesterol as bad cholesterol because it causes fatty deposits to build up in the blood vessels. These deposits can block blood flow and cause heart attacks or strokes.
HDL, or good, cholesterol helps remove cholesterol from the body through the liver. High levels of HDL cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart problems and strokes.
Common Misconceptions About Foods And Cholesterol
Just because a food contains cholesterol does not mean it will raise cholesterol levels. In fact, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans of 2015-2020 removed the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day, stating that adequate evidence was not available. Extensive research does not show that eating foods that contain cholesterol causes heart disease.
However, many foods remain feared for the belief that they increase the risk for heart disease or harm overall health. Some of these foods are highlighted below:
In addition to these foods, there has been concern over the recently trending ketogenic diet and its role in cholesterol levels. This style of eating limits nearly all sources of carbohydrates and instead gets a majority of calories and other nutrients from high-fat foods and protein. This diet includes eating large amounts of meat, eggs, cheese, and other high cholesterol, high saturated fat foods.
While it may seem as though this style of eating would be harmful to cholesterol levels, current research does not support this so far.
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Beans: Healthy Pintos And Garbanzos Stand Out
All types of beans and other legumes pinto, red, white, navy, black, garbanzo, lima, and lentil, for example are excellent sources of soluble fiber. Fiber binds to cholesterol-laden bile salts in the small intestine and promotes their excretion along with waste. When this happens, the liver must use more cholesterol to produce more bile salts, therefore lowering the amount of cholesterol available to make LDL.
Still, results of nutrition surveys published in January 2016 in PLoS One show that awareness of the cholesterol-lowering benefits of beans is low. Eating as little as one half cup of cooked pinto beans per day may lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol significantly, noted a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in June 2007.
Coffee: Filtered Is Okay
Coffee may affect cholesterol levels due to the diterpenes found in our favorite breakfast drink. These suppress the bodys ability to produce substances that help break down cholesterol. However, research shows that if you use a coffee filter to brew your cuppa, its unlikely to increase your cholesterol.
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Cholesterol Lowering Supplements #: Cinnamon Cholesterol Effects
Cinnamon is another awesome spice that is used in all kinds of tasty treats, but the spice is much better for your cholesterol than the foods it adds flavor to.
For example, did you know that cinnamon can help to prevent your body from forming clots in your blood vessels? Seeing as how cholesterol causes blood clots to form, eating more cinnamon is a great way to prevent your cholesterol from causing heart attacks or strokes as you work on lowering the amount of cholesterol in your body.
Cinnamon also helps to control the amount of blood sugar in your body, thus preventing diabetes.
Cinnamon contains a good deal of fiber, and everyone knows that fiber is one of the most important things your body needs to get rid of cholesterol. Fiber bonds with the cholesterol particles, prevents them from being absorbed into the blood stream, and ensures that they get sent out the disposal system of the digestive tract.
Getting more fiber will help you to control your cholesterol levels, and cinnamon is a great spice to add to your cooking.
You can make natural desserts with cinnamon, or even a touch of the amazing spice can add some delightful flavor to your food. Add cinnamon to your diet in order to obtain the many benefits.
How Do I Maintain Normal Cholesterol Levels
You can make sure your cholesterol levels stay healthy through a healthy diet, low in trans fats and saturated fats and high in fibre and lean protein.
This means minimising high cholesterol foods, including red meats and fatty, processed foods and avoiding fried foods, takeaways and baked goods.
Unsaturated fats can even help to lower cholesterol, so adding avocados, oily fish and raw nuts to your diet can really help you stay healthy.
Plenty of exercise is also important, as is giving up smoking and keeping your weight down.
You may also choose to take a supplement formulated for healthy cholesterol levels.
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Cholesterol Tablets And Cholesterol Supplements
As for tablet options, if you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, and your levels do not respond to exercise or dietary changes, your GP will probably prescribe a type of medication called a statin.
We stock a range of cholesterol-related supplements below.
There are two types of lipoprotein low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL.
What Causes High Cholesterol
First and foremost, it helps to clear up common misconceptions about in the first place. For several decades, a wide-held belief has been that dietary cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease . This led government-mandated dietary recommendations to limit cholesterol intake to no more than 300 milligrams per day for healthy adults. However, based on recent evidence, there are some serious challenges regarding this current dietary restriction, resulting in the removal of the recommendation in the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
While factors like genetics, inactivity, diabetes, stress and hypothyroidism can all impact cholesterol levels, a poor diet is the No. 1 cause for unhealthy high cholesterol. Unfortunately, the standard American or Western diet is highly inflammatory, which elevates LDL and lowers HDL in most cases the opposite of what we want.
How exactly does inflammation cause cholesterol levels to rise?
Cholesterol itself wouldnt be nearly as dangerous without inflammation. Inflammation is the primary cause of atherosclerosis, the hardening and stiffening of arteries that accompanies plaque deposits and in turn produces even more inflammation. Inflammation is at the root of most diseases, and heart disease is no exception.
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Natural Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels
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Cholesterol is made in your liver and has many important functions. For example, it helps keep the walls of your cells flexible and is needed to make several hormones.
However, like anything in the body, too much cholesterol creates concerns.
Like fat, cholesterol does not dissolve in water. Instead, to move around the body, it depends on molecules called lipoproteins. These carry cholesterol, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins in your blood.
Different kinds of lipoproteins have different effects on health. For example, high levels of low-density lipoprotein results in cholesterol deposits in blood vessel walls, which can lead to (
- heart attack
- kidney failure
In contrast, high-density lipoprotein helps carry cholesterol away from vessel walls and helps prevent these conditions (
Is There Such A Thing As Good Cholesterol
While too much LDL cholesterol is bad news for your body, HDL cholesterol is considered to be a good thing.
The bloodstreams prefect, HDL, keeps your cholesterol levels in check by guiding troublemaking LDL back to the liver, to be removed from your system, after it has completed its job.
This keeps LDL cholesterol from lurking around in your arteries causing damage.
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Reduce Your Intake Of Saturated And Trans Fats
Adopt and follow a healthy diet thats low in saturated and trans fats. A diet high in these fats can raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature. Its found in animal products such as meat and dairy, but also in palm oil, coconut oil and full-cream milk. Read more about saturated fat-rich foods here.
Trans fats are found in store-bought baked goods, snack foods and deep-fried foods. There is strong evidence that trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, while decreasing levels of HDL cholesterol.
Some foods contain cholesterol . Foods that contain cholesterol include liver, pate, kidneys, prawns and egg yolks. These types of food are not usually eaten in large quantities, so its OK to include them in your diet in small amounts.
Foods that contain saturated fats have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels than foods that contain dietary cholesterol.