Fruits that can be added to drinks, lower cholesterol levels, are rich in flavonoids.
People with high cholesterol have an increased risk of many serious diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. This is because cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood that can accumulate over time. If left untreated, it can lead to blockage.
High cholesterol is often caused by an unhealthy diet full of fatty foods, although it has also been linked to lack of exercise, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol.
It can also work for families.
However, just as diet can be the cause of high cholesterol, it can also be used to lower it.
Experts recommend a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables as a good starting point.
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One type of fruit associated with lowering cholesterol levels is citrus fruits, including lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits.
This is because they are rich in flavonoids, a type of compound found in plants that have been shown to lower cholesterol levels.
One study published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity in 2019 found that the flavonoids in citrus fruits can help reduce hyperlipidemia, another name for high cholesterol.
“Available evidence suggests that citrus flavonoids likely provide protection against cardiovascular disease,” the report said.
“The ability of citrus flavonoids to reduce oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia, and inflammation, as well as improve endothelial function, blood pressure, and lipid metabolism may account for their therapeutic role in combating atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.”
A separate study published in the journal Diseases in 2017 also showed that flavonoids lowered cholesterol levels.
It states, “Flavonoids may be of value in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-related disorders, as they act as antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-diabetic agents.”
In particular, two citrus fruits have been shown to lower cholesterol levels in a number of animal tests.
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A study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 2004 found that orange and tangerine peels contain flavonoids called polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), which have the highest cholesterol-lowering properties of any flavonoid.
Using models of diet-induced high cholesterol hamsters, the researchers showed that feeding them a diet containing one percent PMF reduced low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) levels by up to 40 percent.
Study lead investigator Elżbieta Kurowska commented: “Our study showed that PMFs have the most potent cholesterol-lowering effect of any other citrus flavonoid.
“We believe that PMFs can compete with and even outperform the cholesterol-lowering effects of some prescription drugs without the risk of side effects.”
Most people don’t know if they have high cholesterol until they get tested.
A healthy total cholesterol level is five millimoles per liter (mmol/L) or less.
If your levels are too high, you can make a number of lifestyle changes to bring them down.
These include:
- Eat less saturated fat
- Eat more oily fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.
- exercise more
- To give up smoking
- Reducing alcohol consumption.
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