You can reduce your cholesterol and lower your risk for heart problems by eating certain foods. More than 102 million people in the United States have high cholesterol levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these Americans have cholesterol levels high enough to put them at risk for heart disease. Making a couple of easy changes to your diet can reduce your cholesterol.
Fiber
Fiber is an important component of a healthy diet, and eating the right kind of fiber-rich foods can lower your cholesterol. Fiber is not digested by the body and is found in several plant-based foods. Insoluble fiber is sometimes called "roughage" because it adds bulk and volume to the stool and helps fight constipation. Insoluble fiber slows digestion, allowing the body to better absorb vitamins and minerals from food.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water and does its beneficial work in the digestive system by preventing the digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The Mayo Clinic lists bananas and oatmeal as sources of soluble fiber.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance necessary for the body to make cells and in the manufacturing of some hormones. About 75 percent of the cholesterol is made by the body, and the other 25 percent is gained though the foods you eat, according to the American Heart Association. When you eat food, calories are transformed into cholesterol to be used as energy by the body. Cholesterol cannot transport itself through the blood stream, so it attaches itself to special proteins, called lipoproteins.
LDL
LDL, or low density lipoprotein, is called "bad cholesterol" because it can build up in the blood stream and accumulate as fatty deposits on the inside of blood vessels. These fatty deposits can harden into plaque, which can harden the arteries and constrict blood flow. This increases blood pressure, which can cause plaque to rupture from arterial walls and cause the formation of blood clots. These clots can break free and block blood flow to the heart, causing heart attack, and can prevent adequate blood from reaching the brain, which results in a stroke. Soluble fiber reduces the amount of LDL in your blood stream.
Triglycerides
Soluble fiber reduces another type of "bad" cholesterol, known as triglycerides. If the body intends to use the energy from a meal right away, it transforms calories into LDL for immediate use. If you eat more calories than your body needs, the calories are turned into triglycerides and stored in fat cells for later use.
Good Cholesterol
Soluble fiber like oatmeal and bananas causes a rise in good cholesterol levels. High density lipoproteins, or HDL, are known as "good cholesterol" because they scavenge the blood stream looking for excess LDL and delivering it to the liver, where it is destroyed. Foods that contain soluble fiber can raise HDL levels, which then lower LDL levels, according to MayoClinic.com.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: September is National Cholesterol Education Month
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: How Is Atherosclerosis Treated?
- MayoClinic.com: Cholesterol: Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
- American Heart Association: About Cholesterol
- MayoClinic.com: HDL Cholesterol: How to Boost Your "Good" Cholesterol
