Foods That Lower Cholesterol Naturally | Cholesterol Lowering Foods

If you have high cholesterol or are looking to eat more foods that can help prevent you from developing high cholesterol here is a great list for you. The foods in this article have been researched and shown to significantly lower cholesterol naturally and provide a more healthy cholesterol profile.

So what exactly is a healthy cholesterol profile?
To answer that question we need to understand that there are two types of blood cholesterol - HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is known as the 'good' cholesterol and LDL cholesterol is considered the 'bad' cholesterol. To dramatically reduce our risk of developing heart disease these two kinds of cholesterol need to be within an optimum range. The higher our LDL cholesterol blood levels rise the greater our risk of developing heart disease becomes; inversely the lower that our HDL cholesterol blood levels become the greater our risk of developing heart disease also becomes. So highly elevated LDL levels combined with significantly low HDL levels is the worst case scenario!

LDL cholesterol levels below 100 mg/dl (mg/dl = a gram per liter of blood) are within the safe range. As levels raise above this, the risk of heart disease increases. LDL levels of 190mg/dl and above are considered a very high risk.

HDL cholesterol levels below 40mg/dl are associated with a higher incidence of heart disease. Levels at 40-60 mg/dl are considered normal and levels above 60mg/dl are considered high and protective against heart disease. There appears to be no upper limit for HDL cholesterol. In fact research shows that for every 4 points HDL levels go up results in a corresponding 10% decrease in adverse coronary events! However it is very rare for HDL levels to get much higher than 80mg/dl.

So What About Total Cholesterol Levels?
When talking about cholesterol and lowering high cholesterol in particular the generic term 'lowering total cholesterol levels' is often used. So for all practical purposes we are really talking about lowering LDL cholesterol, because as already mentioned, the higher HDL cholesterol levels get the better. However, when total cholesterol levels are measured they also include a third kind of cholesterol called triglycerides. We wont go into triglycerides in detail here but elevated levels of them in the blood are also a risk for heart disease. So if stated in the list of foods below that these foods can help lower 'total cholesterol levels' this really translates as lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

What Makes HDL Cholesterol 'Good' and 'LDL' Cholesterol 'Bad'?
They grew up in very different neighborhoods. Sorry I couldn't resist! The truth is these two cholesterols have polar opposite roles. HDL cholesterol soaks up excess cholesterol from our arteries and takes it to the liver where it is broken down and sent to the bowel for elimination. Whereas LDL cholesterol combines with other substances to form a plaque in the arteries.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes and tomato products are great for improving cholesterol profiles as discovered in a study conducted by the British Journal of Nutrition. 21 healthy subjects were given 13.5 oz of tomato juice and 1 oz of ketchup every day for a period of 3 weeks and then tested for their total cholesterol blood levels. The results were astonishing. On average total cholesterol levels dropped by 5.9% and LDL cholesterol levels dropped by a surprising 12.9%! These results definitely make tomatoes and their products a super food for heart disease protection. Of course that is a lot of tomato juice to drink each day but you can break it up by eating pasta sauce dishes, using tomatoes in salads and combining with the other foods listed here.

Broccoli
Also known as the 'king of vegetables', broccoli is a great anti-cancer vegetable as well as its role in being one of the great foods that lower cholesterol naturally. Broccoli (as well as other cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage and cauliflower) contain a phytochemical called I-3-C that decreases the amount of LDL cholesterol that can be transported to our cells. I-3-C has this effect by inhibiting some of the production of the chemical in the body responsible for this transportation called apoB. So it is not surprising that high blood levels of apoB is associated with increased plaque formation in arteries! However, there is more to this amzing chemical I-3-C found in broccoli. I-3-C not only helps inhibit the transportation of LDL cholesterol to our arteries and other cells but actually decreases the creation of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver. So adding broccoli to your daily menu is a great way of lowering cholesterol naturally!

Berries
A study conducted in Scandanavia shows us that berries are great for raising our HDL cholesterol levels. Researchers from FInland selected 72 middle aged people at risk of cardiovascular disease and divided them into two groups. One group were given a serving of 100g of whole berries and approx. 2.4 fluid ounces of berry juice each day. The other group were given control products instead - marmalade sweets, sweetened water, semolina or rice porridge. After two months the researchers found that the group given the berries improved their HDL blood cholesterol levels by an average of 5.2%! The group given the control products only experienced a 0.6% increase. There is also good news in the results of this study for those who suffer with high blood pressure. The group given the berries also experienced a 7.2mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure.

The berries used in this study were bilberries (the European version of blueberries), strawberries and loganberries.

Apples
Apples are a great source of two kinds of fiber that help to lower LDL cholesterol levels - these fibers are pectin and cellulose. Research shows that eating apples and other fruits high in these fibers reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Apples are actually so effective at lowering LDL cholesterol that we only need to consume half an apple each day to see a result. FIber helps by moving cholesterol through the bowel quickly before it is absorbed into the blood stream. Bananas and pears are two other fruits that are great source of pectin and cellulose.