The medical examination showed high cholesterol? Eat a spoonful of it every day, persist for a month, and you can lower it to a safe level!
Modern people’s living standards are getting higher and higher, and they will never again experience the era when they couldn’t afford to eat meat or had to limit their purchases of oil and rice. People eat well and dress well. But the health status of people is becoming increasingly worse.
In the past, diseases such as high blood lipids and hypertension were rare, but in modern middle-aged and elderly populations, they have become common chronic diseases. Among the three common elderly diseases of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia is completely caused by diet.
Hyperlipidemia may not seem like a very serious disease, but long-term it can lead to serious life-threatening conditions such as thrombosis and myocardial infarction. If you go to the hospital for a check-up and find that your cholesterol is high, how can you lower it for good health? Today, let me chat with you about cholesterol and health-related issues, let’s take a look together.
[Cholesterol Overview]
Cholesterol is divided into high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein. The former has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, usually referred to as “good cholesterol”, while the latter, when high, increases the risk of coronary heart disease, usually called “bad cholesterol”. Excessive intake of cholesterol can lead to hypercholesterolemia, which can further lead to atherosclerosis and other so-called “rich disease”. The general increase in cholesterol levels is the main reason for the rapid increase in the incidence and death of coronary heart disease in the Chinese population, so it is important to pay attention to the prevention and treatment of high cholesterol.
[Hazards of High Cholesterol]
Cholesterol is a necessary component of our bodies, and we need to intake a sufficient amount of cholesterol every day to maintain a healthy state. However, excessive cholesterol intake can pose significant health risks to us.
Excessive cholesterol deposits in our blood vessels, as cholesterol continues to deposit, the gaps in the blood vessels narrow. If the damaged blood vessel walls become inflamed, the deposited cholesterol (cholesterol “padding”) can cause fissures, leading to the formation of blood clots-thrombosis.
If there are many cholesterol “padding” in the aorta, doctors will diagnose it as atherosclerosis. The worst-case scenario is that this blood clot detaches from the blood vessel wall and travels through the bloodstream. This wandering can lead to embolism, stroke, pulmonary and lower limb vascular occlusion, and other diseases.
[Routine Blood Lipid Test Range]
When we go to the hospital for a check-up, we will always check blood routine. One of the items in the blood routine that must be checked is the four blood lipid test. This checks whether substances such as cholesterol in our blood are above standard. What are the standard ranges for our normal blood lipids? Let’s take a look together.
Total Cholesterol: 2.8-5.17mmol/L
Triglycerides: 0.56-1.7mmol/L
Cholesterol Ester: 2.8-5.17mmol/L (110-200mg/dl), accounting for 0.70-0.75 (70-75%) of total cholesterol
High-Density Lipoprotein: Men: 0.96-1.15mmol/L; Women: 0.90-1.55mmol/L
Low-Density Lipoprotein: 0-3.1mmol/L
[Eat a spoonful of it every day, effectively lower cholesterol]
Friends with high cholesterol are basically caused by unscientific diets. It can be said that it is a disease caused by eating. Since it’s a disease caused by diet, the best treatment, of course, is to eat back health. Today, let me introduce to you a star food that lowers cholesterol, and that is oats!
Nutritional Value of Oats
Oats are rich in vitamins including vitamin B1, B2, more vitamin E, niacin, folic acid, etc. The protein content of oats is mostly around 16%, ranking first among cereals. The amino acid of protein in oats is the most balanced among all cereals, and the composition of the essential 8 amino acids required by the human body is dominant.
Oat’s Cholesterol-Lowering Effect
Related studies have shown that oats have a significant effect in reducing serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol), triglycerides, and β-lipoprotein, and also have a certain effect in increasing serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (good cholesterol), with a very apparent lipid-lowering effect.
The main reason is: oats contain a variety of substances that can lower cholesterol, such as unsaturated fatty acids, soluble dietary fiber, etc. The beta-glucan in soluble dietary fiber of oats forms a gel when digested in the small intestine, which absorbs the cholesterol-rich bile acids, prevents the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Oats contain a lot of linoleic acid, which can combine with cholesterol to form esters, which are then degraded into bile acids and excreted, especially a large amount of linoleic acid can soften capillaries, with the function of preventing vascular sclerosis.
Effective Experiment
Oats have a very balancing effect on the cholesterol in people’s bodies. Persisting in eating oats can effectively lower the cholesterol content in people’s bodies to normal levels. Some friends may doubt this claim, can a small amount of oats be so effective? Let’s look at a real experiment.
In 2009, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Nutrition and Food Safety Institute completed the first large-scale domestic trial. The project leader, Professor Zhang Jian from the Nutrition and Food Safety Institute of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, introduced that they divided middle-aged and elderly women with hypercholesterolemia into two groups. The “oat group” consumed 100 grams of oatmeal per person per day, while the “control group” was given an equivalent amount of regular noodles. After 6 weeks, the oat group showed significantly reduced waist circumference, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
[Other Lipid-Lowering Foods]
Oats are the star food for lowering blood lipids, but they are not the only food. There are many other foods in our daily lives that have good effects in lowering blood lipids. Friends with high cholesterol can selectively consume these effective lipid-lowering foods frequently, which is very beneficial for maintaining people’s health, let’s take a look.
1. Corn
Corn oil contains rich unsaturated fatty acids, especially high linoleic acid content. It acts in synergy with the vitamin E in the corn embryo, effectively lowering blood cholesterol concentration and preventing it from depositing on blood vessel walls. In addition, corn is rich in niacin, which can lower cholesterol and triglycerides, etc.
2. Cassia Seed
Pharmacological research has confirmed that cassia seed has a protective effect on the optic nerve, lowers cholesterol, and blood pressure, preventing arteriosclerosis. “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic” listed cassia seed as a high-grade product and stated, “Long-term consumption benefits Jing Guang, light body.”
3. Black Sesame
Black sesame contains iron, lecithin, and vitamin E, important components for breaking down and lowering cholesterol in the blood. The linoleic acid in black sesame can lower blood lipids, while sesamin and sesamol in sesame have the effect of reducing serum cholesterol, and sesamol also has the effect of inhibiting the intestinal absorption of cholesterol, hindering the synthesis of cholesterol by the liver.
4. Buckwheat Tea
Buckwheat contains a large amount of dietary fiber and niacin, which can lower blood cholesterol levels. Buckwheat contains magnesium elements that can promote the dissolution of fibrinogen, inhibit the generation of thrombin, effectively reducing blood cholesterol concentration.
