Nuts are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and both monounsaturated and omega-3 oils that have numerous beneficial effects on blood fats, blood pressure and glucose control. Click here to see my recommended organic, unsalted nuts on Amazon. Nuts lower cholesterol When the results from 61 different trials, involving […]
cholesterol
12 posts
Several natural supplements can lower cholesterol levels and improve the balance between ‘bad’ LDL-cholesterol and ‘good’ HDL-cholesterol. The best cholesterol lowering supplements are plant sterols, beta-glucans, bergamot orange, garlic, lycopene, glucomannan, green tea polyphenols, olive leaf extracts and, in some countries, red yeast rice extracts. These supplements can usually be […]
Brazil nuts are one of my favourite snacks, and I’ve just discovered a reason to eat more of them. A single ‘dose’ of just 4 Brazil nuts can significantly improve cholesterol balance – an effect that starts within 6 hours and lasts for at least 30 days! Click here to […]
If you love butter, you’ll be glad to know that the latest review of some old data now shows that replacing the yellow stuff with vegetable oils high in linoleic acid (an omega-6 found, for example, in corn, sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oil) does not reduce your risk of heart […]
Aged garlic is one of my favourite supplements. Several studies show that taking aged garlic extracts can protect against hardening of the coronary arteries by preventing a build-up of calcium in artery walls. Researchers have now found that garlic extracts also inhibit, and may even reverse, the ‘soft’ furring up […]
If you love garlic but haven’t yet tried the aged, black garlic version, you’re in for a treat. As well as offering health benefits, black garlic has a lovely, soft, savoury-sweet flavour with undertones of molasses and balsamic. As a bonus, black garlic does not have a strong odour and […]
At least one in five adults has some combination of high blood pressure, raised triglycerides, low ‘good’ HDL-cholesterol, high fasting blood glucose level and abdominal obesity. You just need three of these common factors for your doctor to diagnose metabolic syndrome. Having metabolic syndrome has been described as a ‘cardiovascular […]
Cinnamon is an aromatic spice derived from the inner bark of a small tree. True cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon or Sri Lankan cinnamon) comes from Cinnamomum verum (previously known as Cinnamomum zeylanicum) but most commercial cinnamon comes from Cinnamomum cassia, a related species (known as Dutch cinnamon or baker’s cinnamon). Cassia […]
Saturated fats are not that bad for your health. The truth about saturated fats is highlighted by the fact that national guidelines have quietly ditched firm limits for saturated fat from the previous ‘no more than 10% total calories eaten’, or ‘no more than 30g of saturated fat a day […]
If you are taking a statin to lower your cholesterol, you may benefit from taking coenzyme Q10 supplements, too, as statins block the production of both cholesterol and coenzyme Q10 in the liver. Coenzyme Q10 is a vital nutrient for energy production in cells, especially muscle and heart cells, and […]
An interesting study, dubbed the DIABEGG trial, explored whether overweight people with type 2 diabetes would benefit from eating more eggs to boost satiety and improve weight management. The only concern was – would their cholesterol levels climb through the roof? Although an average hen’s egg contains around 200mg cholesterol, […]
I aim to eat a nice, juicy apple every day. As one of the main dietary sources of a type of antioxidant polyphenol known as flavonoids, eating apples brings numerous health benefits. Researchers have found associations between increased flavonoid intake (mostly from apples) and a reduced risk of death from […]
