High cholesterol is a major problem for adults in America. It does not exhibit any symptoms and may sneak up on you. High cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. There are ways to prevent and treat high cholesterol and barley green is a promising effective supplement.
Cholesterol
Your body needs cholesterol to perform metabolic processes. Your liver makes about 75 percent of it while the other 25 percent comes from the food you eat. Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that the body requires for the formation of cell membranes and several hormones, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website. For cholesterol to work properly in the body both forms are necessary: low density lipoprotein, or LDL, and high density lipoprotein, or HDL.
Function
HDL cholesterol is frequently referred to as "good" cholesterol, while LDL cholesterol is frequently referred to as "bad" cholesterol. The job of HDL cholesterol is to find and carry away LDL cholesterol, transporting it back to the liver to be excreted from the body. The two must be in balance. If there is too much "bad" cholesterol in the body, "good" cholesterol cannot get rid of it fast enough and the "bad" cholesterol builds up in the blood, sticking to the artery walls.
Barley
Barley green, or green barley, is based on the green plant parts of barley, which are pressed to make dried juice, according to the "Czech Journal of Food Sciences." Barley grass contains significant quantities of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, beta carotene, folate, pantothenic acid, chlorophyll, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, C and E. The exact contents of particular barley varieties depend upon the age of the leaves and where the plants are grown.
Expert Insight
An extract from young barley leaves helps to suppress excessive cholesterol levels, according to the "Czech Journal of Food Sciences." A 2009 study published in the "Annals of Family Medicine" looked at the consumption of barley and the changes in blood lipids in healthy men and women with high cholesterol. In eight controlled trials, those who received barley had a significant decrease in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides compared with the control group. There was no significant change in HDL cholesterol.
Considerations
Other ways of preventing high cholesterol include eating a low fat, low cholesterol diet. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight will also help prevent high blood cholesterol. According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, small amounts of alcohol have been shown to increase "good" cholesterol but large amounts have the opposite effect and are harmful.
References
- American Heart Association: About Cholesterol
- Johns Hopkins Medicine: Health Alerts: High Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels
- Agriculture Journals: Czech Journal of Food Sciences: Evaluation of Barley Grass as a Potential Source of Some Nutritional Substances
- Annals of Family Medicine: The Effects of Barley-Derived Soluble Fiber on Serum Lipids
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