Cholesterol has long been seen as a key culprit in cardiovascular disease. While it’s true that cholesterol does play a role, not all cholesterol is bad for us.
There are two main types of cholesterol.
The first type is low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. This is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol because it causes fat to collect in the arteries as plaques. This makes it harder for blood to pump throughout the body, leading to greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The second type is high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — often referred to as “good” cholesterol.
HDL cholesterol has two key roles in the body. It removes excess bad cholesterol from the tissues and arteries and returns it to the liver so it can be removed from the body. HDL cholesterol also protects the artery walls so there’s less risk of a blockage forming.
Boosting HDL
The ratio of LDL to HDL in a person’s body is related to their cardiovascular disease risk. If you have a higher ratio of HDL to LDL, your cardiovascular disease risk will be lower. But if you have a lower ratio of HDL to LDL, you’ll have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Fortunately, it’s possible to shift this ratio and increase HDL cholesterol levels. This can be achieved by exercising, quitting smoking and managing your weight, for example.
Certain foods can also improve HDL ratios.
The main way that diet helps boost HDL ratios is by reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a key problem in cardiovascular disease.
Inflammation makes it possible for blood platelets to stick together in our arteries at a much higher rate. This makes it difficult for the HDL cholesterol to do its job, which increases risk of blood clots forming and raises likelihood of heart disease.
By eating anti-inflammatory foods, it makes it easier for HDL cholesterol to do its job of sweeping away excess LDL cholesterol. Here are four examples you can include in your diet:
1. Fruits and vegetables
Research shows that people who have diets high in fruits and vegetables have higher HDL cholesterol levels and a better total cholesterol ratio. They also have lower blood pressure and healthier blood sugar levels, all of which can be supportive to heart health.
Fruits and vegetables exert their positive effects by trapping free radicals.
Free radicals are highly reactive, unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells and trigger inflammation in the body. By preventing inflammation, this makes it possible for HDL cholesterol to continue doing its job of removing bad cholesterol and protecting the arteries.
2. Oily fish and olive oil
Oily fish (such as salmon, sardines and tuna) and olive oil are rich in a type of fat called “polar lipids”.
These lipids are able to reach the bloodstream more quickly compared to other types of fat, allowing them to reduce inflammation and prevent the aggregation of platelets more effectively.
Cell and animal studies have shown that a diet rich in the polar lipids from oily fish is effective in preventing blood clots from forming. This effect can help cholesterol ratios stay balanced, meaning cardiovascular disease risk is lower.
3. Fermented dairy
Fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese, can all have a positive effect on HDL levels.
During fermentation, the lipids are broken down into smaller compounds that have a greater anti-inflammatory effect than milk. They can also be metabolised faster by the body.
Fermented dairy products are also rich in polar lipids, which means that they can considerably reduce cardiovascular risk.
Research found that for every 20g of fermented dairy products people consumed each day, there was a modest reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
4. Red wine
Finally, red wine is completely misunderstood. According to the latest research, moderate consumption of red wine (the equivalent of one to two small glasses per day) is linked with better HDL ratios.
Wine reduces inflammation when consumed in small quantities because it contains polar lipids. However, if wine intake is high, the negative, pro-inflammatory effect of alcohol outstrips the positive effect of the lipids.
This is why it’s important only to drink small amounts and in moderation – otherwise, alcohol can have many negative effects on the body. Indeed, the World Health Organization has said there is no safe level of alcohol consumption as the negatives, such as increased cancer risk even from light drinking, outweigh any positives.
Non-alcoholic wines also contain polar lipids. Research suggests that polar lipid extracts from non-alcoholic beverages have comparable benefits on preventing the formation of blood clots as their alcoholic counterparts.
Inflammation is a key factor in heart disease. By eating foods that reduce inflammation in the body, it’s possible to look after your heart health and lower cardiovascular disease by improving the ratio of HDL to LDL in the body.
Ioannis Zabetakis is Associate Professor, Food Chemistry, University of Limerick, Ireland.
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
- External Link
- https://theconversation.com/four-foods-that-can-help-improve-your-cholesterol-and-boost-heart-health-274583
17 Comments
Login to comment
Monty
According to the latest research, moderate consumption of red wine (the equivalent of one to two small glasses per day) is linked with better HDL ratios.
So drinking red wine with alcohol has a benefit to your health.
Didn't we not always hear from the so called experts how bad alcohol is , and that we should avoid it by all means?
This is why it’s important only to drink small amounts and in moderation
That is what I always said here, moderation is the key. Sometimes drinking a glass of whiskey or, as here in the article mentioned, a glass of red wine, will not kill you or have any negative impact on your health.
It seems to be opposite, it can have even benefits to your health.
Research suggests that polar lipid extracts from non-alcoholic beverages have comparable benefits
Because the benefits of the non alcohol and the alcohol versions are comparable, I choose the alcohol version, because of better taste.
I had the non alcohol red wine in the past, it tastes awful and it contained the hell of an amount of sugar to improve the taste.
But, the alcohol version, always drink in moderation.
*Wick's pencil
It has long been seen as such, but that view has changed in recent years.
Aly Rustom
Good to hear! I consume all four- including #4 A LOT.
virusrex
Not exactly, drinking red wine have benefits that are independent from alcohol (zero % wine would have the same benefits) meanwhile alcohol have negative consequences for the health as the article clearly says after the text you quote.
Well, since you can get the benefits from the drink without alcohol why should we not? you get the good parts, avoid the bad ones.
MAY not, but that depends on the person, for someone that has low propensity to cardiac problems but high propensity to liver disease or cancer that glass can result in a net negative.
That makes no sense, benefits are comparable, damages are higher with the wine with alcohol, that alone would make your choice injustified, in reality you only considered the benefits because you want to endulge on the taste, there is no point in pretending otherwise. You know you can just accept that your preferences come with higher risks, they are your own after all, it is not like anybody can force you to be healthier on them.
virusrex
No, it has not. That is still the well supported consensus of medical science.
I mean, you have proved before that you could not find even one health related institution to support this claim you keep repeating, that means the view has not changed at all no matter how much you wish for this to be true. Evidence keep piling up on the role of cholesterol in cardiac disease.
virusrex
Baseless claims are not arguments, doctors do take all the help they can get for their own health problems and that includes pharmacological interventions. Making baseless claims about doctors is not an argument, as proved before when you claimed doctors never recommended coffee, something that was quickly debunked.
Cholesterol can be managed by lifestyle for some patients, but others have no real choice but to use drugs, for example those with Familial hypercholesterolemia can have cardiovascular problems from childhood and no amount of excercise or diet would correct the problem.
People are not suckers for using all the help they can, that is just a personal prejudice that could put others at risk.
GuruMick
Chu Hai not mentioned ?
Raw Beer
Yeah, it might improve your "HDL ratios", but listening to many health experts recently I get the feeling the potential benefits have been greatly exaggerated are outweighed by their negative effects. Even one glass of wine per day has negative effects.
Having said that, I still sometimes drink wine and an occasional shot of whiskey, or two, or...
virusrex
Out of the hundreds and hundreds of institutions of medical science in the world, how many support this claim you make?
Zero?
You are not going to expect people to believe every single institution in the world is wrong just because you like more what a few people say, specially when they have no evidence to disprove this consensus, right? that would make no sense. Is as valid as hoping people to accept the planet is not flat even if "many experts" claim so (also without evidence).
Raw Beer
Wait, what?? Are you saying that hundreds and hundreds of institutions of medical science in the world are still recommending drinking 1-2 glasses of wine daily?
Anyway, regarding the current understanding of cholesterol and heart disease, here is a good discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9TOMH332eA
virusrex
There is a huge difference between saying 1-2 glasses as a maximum, and 1-2 glasses as a recommended amount.
Alcohol is a well known carcinogen, with more and more risks being discovered continuously, people like to drink it and there is no realistic possibility of outlawing it, but that is definitely not the same as being something that is recommended to be consumed. The actual recommendations for cardiac health do not include alcohol as part of a healthy diet.
A discussion about the understanding of cholesterol would require the comprehensive examination of the evidence that do not support the hypothesis being explained and how the data being presented is of enough quality and quantity to replace that previous understanding, that is what discussion means in the context of medical science.
The video is not doing that, is making outrageous claims of very limited research and making predictions that obviously never happened (this is nothing new). Ignoring completely the evidence that contradict your theory is something that would make any reviewer reject a manuscritp, which is why this ends up being just a video, that doesn't have any minimum requirement about evidence or methods, when people can't defend a theory in a proper discussion they can always make a video. Malotra is well known for this kind of unprofessional attitude over science, which is why he was chosen for the video as well. Not everybody would treat the claims made seriously, but a discredited professional that routinely makes baseless or plain wrong statements surely can.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aseem_Malhotra
virusrex
To clarify,
wine do appear to lower HDL, and that by itself is very likely to be reflected in benefits for cardiac health. That part is what is well supported by the medical consensus. But any alcoholic beverage is not something recommended for a healthy diet, specially for cardiac health, that is also part of the consensus, just not because the benefits from lowering HDL are not real. Non-alcoholic wine would offer the benefits without the risks without problems, and there is no reason to believe these benefits have been exaggerated.
Raw Beer
You're the one that wrote that according to "every single institution in the world" I am wrong when I wrote that I get the feeling the potential benefits of drinking 1-2 glasses of wine daily are outweighed by their negative effects and that even one glass of wine per day has negative effects.
Even the above article says: "Indeed, the World Health Organization has said there is no safe level of alcohol consumption as the negatives, such as increased cancer risk even from light drinking, outweigh any positives."
virusrex
Only when you misleadingly write that this is because "lowering the HDL" ratios is being exaggerated as a benefit. As I wrote non-alcohol wine would have this benefit and no identifiable increase of any risk. Absence of alcohol, presence of polar lipids.
1glenn
Our personal care physician has told both my wife and me that we are not to have alcoholic drinks anymore. Apparently, at our age, kidney and liver functions have already declined by a lot, and alcohol will accelerate the decline. She told us to give up alcohol, or run the risk of dialysis as we get older.
I like both alcoholic drinks and smoking tobacco, but unless I know I am about to die anyway, will not consume either.
Fred Nerk
They left out beer & pizza too. Spoiled sports
ian
By his own admission his recommendation is contradicted by the who.