How does fibre lower cholesterol

Cholesterol Info

Doctors always recommend diets rich in fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, as well as some lean meats. All these products are great for the human body, filling it with important nutrients, vitamins and minerals and also preventing many diseases. Heightened cholesterol is associated with many health problems and especially with heart issues.

Cholesterol is a sterol and human body needs certain amount of this substance to maintain cell walls and for production of steroid hormones in the body. However, as we said before, too much cholesterol in the blood is considered responsible for heart diseases and may also lead to stroke. There are two types of cholesterol in the blood, the good and the bad one. “Good” cholesterol is HDL (high density cholesterol) and the “bad” is low density cholesterol or LDL. Particles of the LDL cholesterol tend to cluster and they may block blood vessels leading to mentioned health problems.

Cholesterol our body uses may come from the food we eat or from the liver where it is synthesized. There is no way to affect the production of cholesterol in the liver and that’s why people with heightened blood cholesterol must pay more attention to their diet. One of the ways to lower the cholesterol is to increase the amount of fibers we consume.

Food That Can Lower Cholesterol

There are two types of fibers: soluble and insoluble, depending on the dissolution in water. Soluble fiber can trap cholesterol taken by the food and remove it from the body. Human organism can’t absorb these fibers and it gets passed through the stool. At the same time, these fibers affect and slow down production of cholesterol in the liver. Insoluble fibers are also good, since they can help in removing the waste from the body faster than usual.

Fruits and vegetables are generally low in calories and because of that they are great help for lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood. Besides the effect on cholesterol, vegetables are proven to lower the risk of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) or even some form of cancers. Grains can also help you to lower cholesterol level and reduce the weight, if necessary. Lean meats such as lean red meat, chicken, turkey but also various types of fish will also lower the level of blood cholesterol.

According to the studies, the amount of 10 to 25g of soluble fibers for women is enough to lower LDL cholesterol. Men need up to 38g of soluble fibers.