Some foods can elevate cholesterol levels, while other nutrition can help reduce it to healthier levels – and research has shown that certain fruits could help reduce high cholesterol levels in some people
Cholesterol is found in the blood. It’s a fatty substance naturally produced by the human body and it actually helps to maintain the health of cells. There are “good” and “bad” cholesterol types and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the type considered to be bad for your health.
High levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) can lead to heart disease or stroke, this because the cholesterol builds up in the body’s arteries, thus affecting the flow of blood. On the other hand, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is considered a good version of the substance – and this type helps to remove excess ‘bad’ cholesterol from the human body.
Eating enough fibre, plus vitamins and antioxidants in your diet can help fight against cholesterol. It’s a good habit to get into whether you already have high cholesterol or you want to try and keep it at bay – and this is where four fruits have been listed to be beneficial.
Taking action on your diet can help lower your cholesterol naturally, however, if you’re already taking medication you’ll probably need to continue, but a healthier diet can still be a positive change. If you’ve been told you have high cholesterol, but are not yet taking medication, you may be able to bring the bad cholesterol levels down by making a few nutritional changes.
The Times of India has explained how certain fruits could help to lower cholesterol in the body. The publication reports that ‘the nutritional content of fruits includes fibre, together with vitamins and antioxidants, which work to support cardiovascular well-being’.
In their report, The Times of India explained: “The soluble fibre content in fruits serves as the primary factor that helps reduce cholesterol levels. Soluble fibre within the digestive system binds to the cholesterol, and helps get rid of it from the body.”
Four specific fruit types have been highlighted as being good for reducing bad cholesterol – including the citrus family such as lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit. Eating the grated rind of unwaxed lemons is a helpful addition to the diet – and the lemon skin may have cholesterol-lowering effects.
Grapefruit is particularly good for us and consuming grapefruit regularly can lead to improvements in blood lipid levels, studies have shown, it also has a lowering effect on blood pressure.
However, If you are already taking statins as medication, eating grapefruit can be dangerous as it may negatively interact with certain drugs, such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin – and it’s possible you might have to avoid grapefruit – so check this out with your doctor.
The regular consumption of apples ‘leads to measurable reductions in LDL cholesterol’, The Times of India reports – and this is backed up by research. It’s down to the fibre quota and polyphenols found in these fruits, so that old saying, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ may even be true.
Avocados are full of healthy fats, known as monounsaturated fats, which are good for the heart – so these are another great fruit addition to add to your diet regularly.
The Times of India also highlights bananas for their plant sterols and soluble fibre which ‘works together’ to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. If excess cholesterol is reduced in your blood it will be detoxified by the liver (and other organs) and excreted from the body.