Green tea polyphenols might help lower cholesterol by preventing it from being absorbed, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Green tea reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the bad form of cholesterol, in a study published in the August issue of the journal "Arquivos Brasileiros Cardiologia.
Results showed a 4. Green tea did not influence levels of triglycerides or high-density lipoprotein, also known as HDL, the good form of cholesterol, in this study. Black tea lowered triglyceride levels by 36 percent and raised HDL levels by 20 percent in a study published in the May issue of the journal "Preventive Medicine.
Black tea also increased antioxidant levels and decreased fasting blood sugar levels by 18 percent. Researchers concluded that black tea decreases heart disease risk.
Your personal health and metabolism can also affect how quickly herbal teas help to improve your cholesterol. Talk to your doctor about your overall physical health to see how tea might affect your cholesterol levels. Research suggesting that tea lowers cholesterol is promising, but more data is needed. Some causes of high cholesterol are not lifestyle-dependent. Other causes, such as unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise, are.
Fortunately, unsweetened tea can certainly be a healthy addition to your day. Herbal teas can interfere with prescription and over-the-counter drugs. You might experience drug reactions based on the ingredients of the herbal tea. If you are taking warfarin or another blood thinner, cranberry herbal tea might cause bleeding.
Drinking ginseng or ginger teas can cause similar problems with aspirin or blood thinners. Ginseng tea can also interact negatively with blood pressure medications or diabetes treatments such as insulin. Ginkgo biloba affects a range of medications, including:. Be careful if you drink herbal teas that are blended with caffeinated teas.
Too much caffeine can make you jittery or anxious. One study linked caffeine overdoses with symptoms found in people who took cocaine or methamphetamines. Talk to your doctor before using teas to treat high cholesterol. Herbs used for tea can have complex interactions with your body and they may contain chemicals that are unfamiliar to you. Make a berry smoothie by blending two handfuls — around 80 g — of any berry.
Sterols and stanols are plant chemicals similar in shape and size to cholesterol that block the absorption of some cholesterol. However, vegetables and nuts contain low levels of sterols and stanols that cannot lower cholesterol. Companies are adding these chemicals to several foods and drinks, including fortified yogurt drinks , milk, and fruit juices.
The FDA state that most people should try to consume 1. Cocoa is the main ingredient in dark chocolate. It contains antioxidants called flavanols that may improve cholesterol levels. Cocoa contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can also help improve cholesterol levels. However, drinks containing processed chocolate have high levels of saturated fats. People looking for healthful options may wish to choose pure cocoa drinks.
Many types of plant-based milk contain ingredients that may help lower or control cholesterol levels. Make a soy or oat smoothie by blending 1 cup ml of soy or oat milk with cholesterol-lowering fruits or vegetables, such as:.
Some research has found that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption could be more beneficial in terms of heart health than not drinking at all.
Moderate consumption involves drinking up to 1 alcoholic drink per day for females and up to 2 for males. The impact that alcohol can have on cholesterol levels depends largely on factors including how much someone drinks, their age and sex, and the type of alcohol they consume.
However, heavy drinking increases cholesterol, and consuming alcohol carries so many health risks that its negative effects likely outweigh its benefits. People who wish to improve their cholesterol levels or maintain healthful levels may wish to avoid drinks high in saturated fats, such as:. Drinking more than 12 ounces of sugary drinks per day may also reduce HDL levels and increase triglyceride levels, or levels of fat in the bloodstream.
About an ounce and a half to two ounces a day should do it. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and pistachios all confer benefits. So do peanuts, although they're technically a legume and not a nut. Tip: Put a bag of unsalted nuts in a convenient spot in the kitchen, so it's easy to grab a handful as you head out the door.
By joining AARP today , you can also save on health and wellness products and services. Olive oil doesn't just make food taste better. The unsaturated fats found in olive oil and canola and walnut oil have the added benefit of helping to cut LDL cholesterol levels without affecting HDL. Aim for about 2 tablespoons a day in place of other fats. Tip: To bump up olive oil's bad-cholesterol-lowering power, choose one labeled "extra-virgin.
They're crisp, sweet and their hefty cargo of natural fiber, much of it in the form of pectin, helps to knock down LDL levels. Surprisingly, fresh pears contain even more pectin than apples do. Pectin binds with cholesterol and ferries it out of the body before it can be absorbed.
A medium-size pear provides 16 percent of the recommended daily value for fiber. Other pectin-rich fruits include apples, bananas, oranges and peaches. Tip: Don't bother to peel pears. Their edible skin is an additional source of fiber. Simply wash before serving.
A cup of tea does more than soothe on a stressful day. Both green and black tea can help lower cholesterol levels. Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves and black tea from fully fermented leaves of the same plant. Researchers believe that catechins, a type of antioxidant found in tea, are responsible for its cholesterol-lowering effect. The more fermented the tea leaves, the lower the catechin content and the higher the caffeine content.
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