Heart disease is the No.1 killer in America, and is responsible for about 500,000 deaths every year. Research shows you can lower your odds of developing heart disease by as much as 40 percent by lowering your cholesterol levels. And while cholesterol-lowering drugs abound, experts say you can improve your levels by simply adding these six foods to your diet:
Chocolate. An analysis of eight studies found that eating chocolate cut levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol by 6 mg/dL and reduced total cholesterol levels by the same amount in people who had risk factors for heart disease. The most effective amount was about the equivalent of a 1.25-ounce bar of milk chocolate. Dr. Rutai Hui of Peking Union Medical College in Beijing reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that, for some groups of people, eating moderate amounts of chocolate could be a "worthwhile dietary approach."
Along the same line, a double-blind trial at the University of Illinois found that eating dark chocolate lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.3 percent in people with elevated cholesterol levels.
Nuts. Researchers at Loma Linda University in California found that people who ate an average of 67 grams (2.4 ounces) of nuts a day saw a drop in total cholesterol levels of 5.1 percent and a 7.4 percent drop in LDL cholesterol. The data, which was published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the benefits were the same, regardless of the type of nut eaten.
Nuts lowered cholesterol the most in people who were not obese and in those whose LDL levels were the highest at the beginning of the study. "Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels ... and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," the researchers said in a statement.
Blueberries. Blueberries contain a compound called pterostilbene, a compound similar to resveratrol. It appears to work in the body in the same way as fibrates (TriCor and Lopid), a class of cholesterol-lowering medication, and may help lower cholesterol as effectively as prescription drugs — and without the side effects.
An animal study presented at an annual meeting of the American Chemical Society found that blueberries lowered cholesterol levels a total of 37 percent, and LDL levels dropped 19 percent in animals whose diets were supplemented with blueberries.
Cranberries. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice daily for a month significantly raised HDL ("good") cholesterol by 10 percent and lowered the risk of heart disease by 40 percent.
Cranberries may even help those with genes for high cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Veterinary Medicine found that cranberry powder lowered the cholesterol levels of pigs born with a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. Within six months, their cholesterol levels were less than other pigs born with the genetic defect but not given cranberry powder. Their levels were also less than the levels of pigs born with normal cholesterol levels that weren't given cranberry.
Oats. Back in 1997, the FDA allowed manufacturers to claim heart benefits for the soluble fiber found in oat products. Studies have shown people with high cholesterol can lower their cholesterol by as much as 23 percent by eating just 3 grams of soluble fiber a day. (A bowl of oatmeal contains about 3 grams.) A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet including oat products lowered cholesterol about as well as prescription cholesterol drugs.
Fish. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish — the "good" fats — lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. Fish oils also lower levels of dangerous triglycerides. In a review of several studies published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers discovered that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil could reduce triglyceride levels by as much as 30 percent. The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings a week of fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.
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