Blueberries and Cholesterol
Many of us are waging the daily war against high cholesterol.
But what, exactly, is cholesterol, and how can we lower our "bad" cholesterol
levels safely and effectively ... and how can the bluberry help?
What is Cholesterol?
First of all, what is it? Cholesterol is, "a raw material
used by the body to build cell walls and produce hormones such
as estrogen and testosterone."
At healthy levels, cholesterol is essential. Problems arise
when our bodies are unable to get rid of excess cholesterol and
it begins to build up - high cholesterol is one of the biggest
and best-known threats to an otherwise healthy heart.
An accumulation of the fat-like, waxy substance on the artery
walls seriously increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
So what can you do to keep your Cholesterol level healthy?
Well, there are many solutions out there, from drugs to radical
shifts in diet. One of the most promising, and easiest to integrate
into your daily life, is blueberry consumption.
Now, I know a lot of you probably think this is another of those
so-called "miracle" foods of the week, just a quick
cure-all until the next fad comes along. Not so.
In a recent study, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
found that there is a compound in blueberries, called pterostilbene,
which lowers cholesterol just as effectively as drugs, without
any of the dangerous side effects. In fact, the USDA discovered
that this blueberry compound was just as good as the commercially
produced medication ciprofibrate at lowering the "bad" cholesterol,
LDL.
Pterostilbene is an antioxidant, and is similar to another compound
called resveratrol, found in grapes and red wine and also believed
to lower cholesterol. Antioxidants, by definition, are "any
of various substances (as beta-carotene, vitamin C, and alpha-tocopherol)
that inhibit oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen and peroxides
and that include many held to protect the living body from the
deleterious effects of free radicals." What this means is
that antioxidants, like those found in blueberries, fight off
toxic forms of oxygen.
Blueberries are full of nutrients, with the "best" part
of the blueberry being its skin. Berries such as blueberries
and cranberries, with darker, rich-colored skins, are full of
a powerful dye, called anthocyanin, that is released from the
pigments. Taking advantage of these healthy, nutrient-filled
littleberries can be nothing but beneficial to you and your
health!
Latest Research: "Blueberries reduce cholesterol levels ..."
20-Jun-2008 - Supplementing the diet with blueberries may reduce
cholesterol levels by over ten per cent, suggests a new study
with our porcine friends.
Feeding the animals a two per cent blueberry diet led to reductions
in total, LDL and HDL-cholesterol of 12, 15, and eight per cent,
respectively, Canadian researchers report in the British Journal
of Nutrition.
The significance for humans lies in the fact that pigs have
levels of LDL similar to humans and are susceptible to diet-induced
vascular disease, according to lead researcher, Wilhelmina
Kalt, from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Pigs can also
develop
atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta and carotid artery, and
have a similar blood pressure and heart rate as humans."
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
July 2008, Volume 100, Issue 01, pp 70-78
"
Effect of blueberry feeding on plasma lipids in pigs"
Authors: W. Kalt, Kim Foote, S. A. E. Fillmore, Martha Lyon,
T. A. Van Lunen, K. B. McRae
 |
Pure Blueberries in a supplement
Blueberry MAX Pure™ - The most convenient
way to always have your required daily amount of fresh
Blueberries -
|
|
