Cholesterol. You know it's bad for your heart and arteries. But you could make it less bad with this crunchy party snack: almonds.
Turns out the almonds health benefits not only include improved cholesterol levels, but also help make LDL—the bad cholesterol—less likely to oxidize. Which is great, because LDL can do scary things when it's oxidized, like block arteries and cut blood flow to the heart.
Almond joy
Because oxidized LDL is even more likely to gunk-up your arteries than the unoxidized kind, one study results on almonds and LDL oxidation helped secure the nut's position in a heart-healthy diet. When older adults with high cholesterol ate a daily handful of almonds as part of a 4-week cholesterol-friendly diet, not only did the nut eaters suffer less bad-for-the-arteries LDL oxidation, but their LDL levels took a nosedive as well. Pass the almonds, please—it’s time to lower cholesterol naturally!
Dance of the antioxidants
While almonds are a great way to lower cholesterol naturally, here’s some other good news regarding almonds health benefits: The study subjects' healthy (HDL) cholesterol rose. How do almonds do it? Researchers suspect that the vast array of flavonoids and phenols in the skins play a role—so be sure to buy whole almonds with the skins on. Those skin-based nutrients may react synergistically with other antioxidants in your body to produce the cholesterol-controlling effects. Shield your heart and arteries with these other disease-busting strategies, too:
- See the humor. A little laughter can do a whole lot for your heart and arteries.
- Enjoy the quiet. A bit of silence now and then may help keep your blood pressure in check.
- Go fishing. Regular fish eaters may be less likely to experience heart arrhythmias.
