OMG Digital Magazine OMG Issue 260 25th May 2017 | Page 30

OMG Digital Magazine | 260 | Thursday 25th May 2017 • PAGE 30
4 FOODS TO
EAT FORLOWER
CHOLESTEROL
Health
Cholesterol levels matter, regardless of how young you
are. A 35-year-old who lives with high cholesterol for two
decades could see her risk for heart disease increase by 93
percent. To avoid that fate, cut out trans fats and cigarettes,
limit saturated fats, and pick up these heart-happy foods.
By Karen Asp
1. AVOCADO
When overweight people had an avocado a day as part of
a moderate-fat diet, they lowered bad (LDL) cholesterol by
10 percent and total cholesterol by 8 percent compared
with when they ate an average American diet, according to
research. “Avocados contain fiber and other nutrients that
help block the body’s absorption of cholesterol,” says lead
study author Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD.
2.
SOY
Eating 14 to 50 grams of soy foods (e.g., edamame, tofu) daily for one to four months
lowered total cholesterol by 2 percent, LDL by 3 percent, and triglycerides (the fat
associated with heart disease) by 4 percent, according to a 2015 meta-analysis. Results
were even greater in those who were diabetic or obese. Soy may reduce the body’s
ability to produce cholesterol and increase its rate of deterioration, says lead study
author Oluwabunmi Tokede.
3. OATS
We know oats can lower overall cholesterol,
but a meta-analysis recently found that
they can also reduce two less-talked-about
measurements of bad cholesterol: non-HDL
cholesterol and apoB. “Mounting evidence
indicates that high levels of these can lead to
increased risk of heart attack or stroke,” says
lead study author Vladimir Vuksan, PhD.
4. BEANS
Consuming 130 grams (between a half and one cup) of
legumes every day may lower LDL by roughly 5 percent,
according to a 2014 meta-analysis. “That correlates to roughly
a 5 percent reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke,” says
study coauthor John L. Sievenpiper, MD, PhD. Most Americans
eat only a fifth of a serving of beans a day. Chili, anyone?