You might have heard that by taking garlic, cholesterol can be lowered. This is one reason why garlic supplements are one of the most popular natural health supplements.
Cholesterol is a waxy, white substance in the blood plasma. In normal levels, it is essential to life but in high levels, it can be dangerous. Garlic has been used in the treatment of cholesterol for centuries and you frequently hear the words cholesterol and garlic in the same sentence.
Some Garlic Cholesterol Studies
If you are dealing with high cholesterol, garlic can lower it by up to twenty percent. Garlic is actually a licensed medicine in Germany for hardening or blocked arteries and the University of Munich did some studies into how garlic supplements can help with high cholesterol.
The patients were given a low fat diet and their cholesterol levels fell by ten percent. They were then given garlic supplements and their cholesterol levels fell by another ten percent.
Keeping Your Cholesterol Levels Low Naturally
Garlic is a good way to lower your cholesterol but how do you stop it from getting too high in the first place? The importance of eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise should not be underestimated.
Saturated fat is one of the main cholesterol culprits and this type of fat is found in foods such as milk, butter, lard, poultry skin and fatty red meat. Cutting down on your total fat intake is a good way to cut down on saturated fat.
Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are naturally low in fat and high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Try some Japanese or Thai recipes which tend to be lower in fat and also try to have a couple of meat-free days each week. This lowers your fat intake and encourages you to fill up on vegetables instead.
The Importance of Regular Exercise
Exercise can keep you healthy and in shape as well as lowering your cholesterol levels. Although by taking garlic cholesterol levels will go down, the best way to stay healthy is to keep your cholesterol low naturally by watching what you eat and by taking regular exercise.
You can choose whichever type of exercise appeals to you the most. Getting your body moving is the most important thing and whether you prefer jogging, swimming, power walking, playing tennis or something else, exercise is good for you.
Some kinds of high cholesterol are caused by eating too much of the wrong foods and not taking enough exercise but other types are caused by a genetic predisposition. In this case, you should still watch your diet, take exercise and use garlic supplements to help.
If you are worried about your cholesterol levels you should see your doctor first of all. Depending on the results of your cholesterol test, you might need to alter your diet or increase your level of exercise.
When taking garlic cholesterol levels can be lowered but you should not treat garlic as a substitute for healthy eating and exercise. Garlic supplements can be taken in addition to making other lifestyle changes to bring your cholesterol levels back under control.
Van Crawford is the research editor of lowering-cholesterol-resources.com lowering-cholesterol-resources.com where he shares what he learned as he lowered his own cholesterol levels naturally. For details on foods, supplements, and other effective ways to lower cholesterol without medication, visit lowering-cholesterol-resources.com lowering-cholesterol-resources.com
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