5 Foods To Boost Good Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a much-dreaded word in the world of health and wellness nowadays considering it has come to be associated more with LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol than HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or good cholesterol. LDL can deposit in the walls of arteries and limit blood flow increasing chances of heart attack or stroke. But just like there is another side to the coin, there is good cholesterol or HDL (high-density lipoprotein) that can give a boost to your health and save your heart and other organs from the ill effects of bad cholesterol. HDL is called good cholesterol as it aids in removing harmful or bad cholesterol from your bloodstream and thus high levels of it is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is a wax-like substance produced by the body that has many important functions that includes building your body's cells. It's carried through our bloodstream attached to proteins and these proteins are called lipoproteins. (Also read: High cholesterol: Watch out for these warning signs that appear on skin)

One way of countering bad cholesterol levels is to improve good cholesterol levels and this can be done by getting rid of unhealthy lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking and adding nutritious foods to your diet. Excess of anything is bad though and very high levels of HDL are thus not good and can put one at higher risk of heart attack. Limiting saturated fats, sugar-laden food and other high-calorie stuff can also be helpful in increasing good cholesterol levels.

Nutritionist Lovneet Batra in her recent Instagram post talked about foods to raise your good cholesterol levels.

Chia seeds

Chia seeds are a good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, and other healthy nutrients. Adding chia seeds to your diet may help lower LDL levels and decrease blood pressure.

Barley

The chewy whole grain is another great way to get your fill of beta glucan, the soluble fibre that can help to better HDL to LDL ratio.

Walnuts

The fat found in walnuts is mainly omega-3 fats, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that has heart-protective qualities. Thus walnuts lower total blood cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds. And in truth, medium-chain triglycerides make up only a small amount of the fatty acids in coconut oil.

Soybean

The vegetarian equivalent of meat, soybean bursts with the goodness of unsaturated fat, fibre, and protein. Also, the isoflavones in soy increase HDL levels and if phytoestrogens reduce LDL levels and triglycerides, thus improving your lipid profile.

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Best Supplements To Lower Cholesterol Levels In The Blood

Our bodies are susceptible to numerous symptoms and diseases affecting our daily lives. While diabetes is one, the other prevalent issue that humans have to deal with is cholesterol. 

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Higher cholesterol levels can immensely harm the body as they directly affect heart health. 

The problem is its lacking symptoms. People often discover their higher cholesterol levels when they get their blood tested for some requirement. 

Knowing About Cholesterol

Let us know a little more about cholesterol:

The liver is responsible for creating cholesterol, which is a fat-like substance and has several functions that it has to execute;

Cholesterol facilitates the digestion of fatty food items as it is a part of the bile acids released by the liver.

Cholesterol is also a predecessor to the steroid hormones in the body.

Whenever the skin gets exposed to sunlight, cholesterol aids in creating Vitamin D for promoting better health.

In addition, it promotes a convincing in maintaining and bettering cell membrane health.

If cholesterol levels are optimal in an individual's body, there is nothing to worry about, as it is more beneficial. Speaking of cholesterol, there are two types to consider:

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Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)

Often referred to as "Bad cholesterol, " the cholesterol get piled up in the blood vessels, making them narrower than usual. Under such circumstances, blood finds it difficult to flow through arteries and veins. It is the primary reason for heart attacks, stroke and other associated health issues.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)

As against LDL, the High-density lipoprotein, i.E. HDL cholesterol is good cholesterol . Therefore, maintaining optimal levels of HDL is necessary for maintaining good health at all times.

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Effects of Cholesterol

LDL cholesterol is the primary reason behind all the health issues associated with higher cholesterol levels. Let us have a look at the possible concerns that might appear.

Stroke or brain blockage

Cholesterol blocks the arteries and prevents optimal blood from flowing through the arteries. As a result, the constrained arteries do not allow adequate blood to reach the brain, which leads to stroke. 

Chest pain

When optimal blood with rich oxygen content does not reach the heart, chest pain can arise.

Heart attacks

The blocked veins due to the deposition of LDL cholesterol can cause a restriction to blood pumped into the heart. Such blockages can lead to life-threatening heart attacks.

Jaw pain

Jaw pain is often considered a symptom of an impending heart attack, as suggested by doctors. However, such pains can emerge from the plaque stored in the arteries.

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Lower memory levels

Whenever you suffer from a heart attack or a stroke, it has a direct impact on your memory power. Thus, LDL needs to be controlled to avert lacking memory or memory loss.

Gallbladder stones and stomach pain

The accumulation of LDL can trigger the formation of gallbladder stones. Gallbladder stone can cause immense stomach ache and requires removal operation. 

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Knowing About the Best Supplements to Lower Cholesterol

Not to worry! There are numerous supplements available that can effectively lower harmful cholesterol levels. Moreover, strenuous research proved that these supplements could work wonders even if cholesterol had been bothering you for a long. So let us have a look at them.

Phytosterols

Phytosterols appear naturally in our food in plant stanols and sterols. A meta-analysis conducted in 2013 proved that one to three grams of phytosterols 2 or 3 times a day for four to six weeks at a stretch caused a reduction in LDL by 12mgs. 

Even the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health vouched for its use for reducing cholesterol.

Red Yeast rice

Red Yeast rice has been used for decades as part of the Chinese medicinal tradition. Cold rice kernels get fermented with a mould type named Monascaceae to manufacture red yeast rice. 

The resultant compound of this fermentation is Monakolin k which is limiting enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase, helping directly synthesise cholesterol . A 2019 study revealed that daily consumption of Monakolin K for six to eight weeks showed a 15-25% reduction in LDL.

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Beta-glucans

Beta-glucans are found as fibres in certain plants like mushrooms, barley and oats. A 2018 review observed how beta-glucans could convincingly limit and decrease the total LDL levels in the blood. 

The best thing about Beta-glucans is that they balance cholesterol levels instead of stopping them outright.

Flaxseed

People with peripheral heart disease can consume flaxseeds to derive a 15% reduction in LDL cholesterol within a month. This fact got substantiated by a 2017 study. 

In addition, another study on Japanese men revealed that 10gm of flaxseed oil caused an LDL reduction of 25.8% in four weeks and 21.2% in twelve weeks. 

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Omega 3 Fatty acids

Whenever you visit a doctor to check yourself, they suggest blood tests to find triglyceride levels. They are those fats in the body that gets stored without usage. If your triglyceride levels are high along with the LDL levels, the chances of a cardiovascular disease loom large. 

Here comes the importance of omega-3 fatty acids. They play a crucial role in reducing inflammation and high triglyceride levels to help you stay away from any possible heart issue. 

Such supplements are available through fish fat or oil and manufactured omega-3 fatty acid capsules.

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Psyllium 

Psyllium is a stable source of soluble fibre that allows the elimination of LDL cholesterol via the bowels. For example, 10g of psyllium every day can trigger a 2-24% reduction in LDL cholesterol, as found by 24 studies.

Green Tea

Thirty-one trials got conducted in 2020, where observers found a reduction in LDL cholesterol owing o green tea consumption among moderately and heavy-weight people. Moreover, its active compounds, catechins, facilitate mellowing chances of any probable cardiovascular disease. 

Final Thoughts

Keeping the LDL cholesterol under check and maintaining an optimum HDL cholesterol level. Remember, a healthy life emerges from healthy habits. Here such supplements will aid you in living longer lives without worrying about any health issues.

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Cholesterol: 6 Heart Health Supplements May Not Be As Effective As Statins

A new study compares the effectiveness of so-called cholesterol-lowering supplements to a statin, rosuvastatin.

While the statin lowered participants’ LDL cholesterol over a period of 28 days, the supplements performed no better than a placebo.

It is important to note that the manufacturer of rosuvastatin, AstraZeneca, funded the study.

To assess a patient’s risk of heart disease and stroke, a yearly physical examination routinely screens for high cholesterol levels in the blood. If cholesterol levels are too high, one’s physician will likely recommend getting them under control to promote continued health.

High cholesterol levels — when total blood cholesterol is equal to or greater than 200 mg/dL — may be addressed in several ways. The goal is to reduce so-called “bad” cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL or LDL-C. LDL comprises most of one’s overall cholesterol.

A doctor is most likely to recommend adopting a heart-healthy diet and may prescribe a statin, an LDL-lowering drug.

Various non-pharmaceutical supplements have also become popular for reducing LDL. However, as cardiologist Dr. Jennifer Wong told Medical News Today, “we see a lot of anecdotal reports about the benefits of supplements and not what it actually does to the LDL.”

Dr. Wong is the medical director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

A new study funded by AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of Crestor (rosuvastatin), a statin drug, investigates the effects of such supplements on LDL levels.

The supplements tested in the study were fish oil, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, plant sterols, and red yeast rice. Their effect on LDL was compared to that of rosuvastatin and placebo, in what Dr. Wong — who was not involved in the study — called a “head-to-head statin-drug-against-the-supplements [competition].”

The study found that the tested supplements did no better than placebo at lowering LDL levels. However, rosuvastatin lowered LDL levels by 35.2%, compared with placebo.

The study is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

First author and principal investigator of the study, Dr. Luke Laffin, co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, tells the American Heart Association Newsroom:

“According to a 2020 market research analysis, Americans spend an estimated $50 billion on dietary supplements annually, and many are marketed for ‘heart protection’ or ‘cholesterol management.’ Yet there is minimal-to-no research demonstrating these benefits.”

“Some people also believe supplements are as effective or more effective than cholesterol-lowering statin medications,” says Dr. Laffin.

“Clearly, not everyone needs to take a statin, but those with elevated LDL-C and elevated cardiovascular risk (as were studied in our trial) should at least have a discussion with their physician about the potential benefits of statin therapy in combination with healthy lifestyle choices. I do not see any benefits in taking a supplement for ‘heart health.’”— Dr. Luke Laffin, speaking to Medical News Today

Michelle Routhenstein, cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.Com, who was not involved in the study, told MNT:

“This study hasn’t provided new information, but it reinforces the lack of validity for the unregulated supplement market.”

The study tracked LDL levels in 199 adult participants. Their ages ranged from 40 to 75. Each had no history of cardiovascular disease.

Their LDL levels varied from 70 mg/dL to 189 mg/dL — optimal LDL levels are less than 100, and levels above 160 are considered moderately high. The researchers estimated that their risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years varied from 5% to 20%.

Researchers randomly selected the participants to take either a placebo each day, 5 mg of rosuvastatin each day, or a daily dose of:

Nature Made® fish oil, 2,400 mg

Nutriflair™ brand cinnamon, 2,400 mg

Garlique™ brand garlic with 5,000 mcg of allicin

BioSchwartz brand turmeric curcumin with bioperine 4,500 mg

Nature Made® CholestOff Plus™ with 1,600 mg of plant sterols

Arazo Nutrition brand of red yeast rice, 2,400 mg.

The study lasted for 28 days.

Dr. Laffin said the trial duration was “consistent with widely accepted Cardiovascular Society-endorsed guidelines. The most recent AHA/ACC lipid guidelines state, ‘Assess adherence and percentage response to LDL-C–lowering medications and lifestyle changes with repeat lipid measurement [after] four to twelve weeks’.”

“In some cases, bringing down LDL cholesterol [in a] timely [manner] is imperative, and therefore [the study is] a good preliminary assessment,” Routhenstein noted.

The study focused on lowering LDL rather than more generally improving heart health, Dr. Wong pointed out.

“I think for heart endpoints, you would need much longer studies, you know, for whether there’s actual lowering of death and heart attacks and strokes,” she said.

“But one could extrapolate that if you’re not going to lower LDL with the medication, that you may not see as much of those heart endpoints with the supplements as you do with the statins,” she stressed.

“In fact, many drugs that lower LDL have not necessarily been able to show those heart endpoints even after decades, whereas statins have shown that they not just lower LDL but improve the heart endpoints of death and heart attacks and stroke.”— Dr. Jennifer Wong

As far as supplements go, “There may be some cardiovascular benefits and anecdotal evidence for benefit from the supplements, and certainly reassurance that the supplements don’t hurt you,” Dr. Wong noted.

Dr. Laffin said that certain statins may have different efficacies with respect to lowering LDL-C, based on their % decrease. “They are generally grouped into low-, moderate-, and high intensity,” he said.

“In general, statins that have the most efficacy, the highest potency, are rosuvastatin, which was used in this study, and atorvastatin,” said Dr. Wong.

Dr. Laffin said that statins were generally very safe. While some people taking statins complain of muscle pain, previous research suggests that this is partly attributable to a “nocebo” effect.

Although nearly 30% of those studied quit their treatment due to muscle pain, researchers found the actual incidence of discomfort to be only about 5% more among patients taking a statin, compared with patients given a placebo.

“The nocebo effect of statins — and the studies that rigorously demonstrate this — actually shows that statin-associated muscle symptoms are quite rare,” Dr. Laffin said.

However, Dr. Wong added that myopathy can be a side effect of statins for some people.

“Some studies show over 25%. In terms of life threatening complications from statins, the incidence is very low,” she said.

When it comes to preserving and promoting heart health, nutrition may be a more effective strategy in the long term, instead of relying on supplements.

“Adopting a truly nutrient-focused heart-healthy diet is a beneficial approach to optimizing heart and blood vessel health. You can be on a statin or a multitude of supplements and still have plaque formation in the arteries if we are not implementing a truly, science-based heart-healthy nutrition and lifestyle,” said Routhenstein.