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It’s possible to lower cholesterol levels with healthy foods, not drugs, a new study suggests.
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The benefits were associated with two daily servings of snacks with ingredients such as walnuts and flax.
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The difference in cholesterol could have a major effect on heart health, according to one researcher.
It may be possible to lower your cholesterol levels without medication by swapping out more nutritious versions of foods like pancakes, granola and chocolate, new research from the Mayo Clinic suggests.
According to a study published Jan. 26 in The Journal of Nutrition.
The small change led to an overall 9% reduction in LDL cholesteroloften referred to as “bad” cholesterol because of its link to heart disease.
“From a public health perspective, it’s staggeringly massive,” Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and study co-author, told Insider.
The foods, made by Klodas-based Step One Foods, were clinically formulated to be rich in nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
The results suggest that supplementing healthy foods could help reduce the risks of high cholesterol without medication.
It’s also promising evidence that food processing, often linked to less healthy outcomes, can be used to improve nutrient quality and make healthy foods more convenient, according to the researchers.
“What I hope our study highlights is that you can make practical health-supporting foods, we’re used to health-destroying convenience foods,” Klodas said.
Researchers formulated snacks from ingredients with proven health benefits, such as walnuts, flax, and berries
Klodas and researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba looked at 54 adults with elevated cholesterol levels over four-week trial periods. The participants swapped something they normally ate with two servings a day of prepackaged snacks like pancakes, chocolate, smoothies, granola and oatmeal. In the first phase of the study, the foods were ordinary versions of snack foods.
In the second phase, participants were given nutrient-boosted versions of the same foods and not told which was which. The nutritious versions of the foods incorporated ingredients such as berries, walnutsY flaxevidence suggests they are beneficial for heart health and cholesterol levels.
After the month of eating nutritious food, the participants had lower cholesterol levels, the researchers hypothesized, but the changes were much larger than expected, since their other lifestyle habits, diet and exercise, were the same.
“I was blown away by how quickly it happened and how statistically significant it was,” Klodas said.
While cholesterol-lowering drugs are widely used and considered safe, some people may not want or be able to take them (about 4% of people experience side effects). The study suggests that food could be a valuable alternative strategy.
Processed foods are often less healthy, but they may not have to be
The study also suggests processed foodsoften maligned for its health consequences, could be used to improve nutrition rather than worsen it.
“Processing strips foods of the building blocks that promote health. We haven’t done any of that,” Klodas said.
By eating mostly whole foods is associated with important health benefits, including low cholesterolAccording to Klodas, nutritious prepackaged foods could provide a more convenient route for people struggling to make changes.
“We know what to eat, we just don’t, because people think it means turning your life upside down to start cooking with kale,” she said. “It may be partly our fault, as we lead people to believe that they have to be vegan yoga triathletes for the lifestyle to work.”
Instead, Klodas encourages the incorporation of daily healthy eating habits, which can make a big difference over time.
“The power of nutrition is huge: we eat several times a day every day, so the cumulative effect is huge. A small change is actually a big change,” he said.
Read the original article at Well-informed person
