Most people reach for oatmeal, green leafy vegetables and other fiber-rich foods in order to keep bad cholesterol levels in check. While they are definitely good at lowering cholesterol, there are also certain teas that you may take in order to ensure that your cholesterol level is within the normal and healthy range.
Before we discuss these teas that are known to help keep high cholesterol levels in check, let us momentarily put the spotlight on bad cholesterol to help you understand why it is not a good idea to have it in excess.
Bad cholesterol is known in the medical world as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Unlike its counterpart, which is high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or the good cholesterol, it is frowned upon by many. The truth is LDL cholesterol is not bad per se. What makes it terrible for the health is when too much of it is present.
In fact, LDL cholesterol plays a number of roles important for your body. For instance, it is necessary for the synthesis of certain hormones such as testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. LDL cholesterol is necessary for the conversion of sunlight into vitamin D. What’s more, LDL cholesterol is vital for the integrity of your cell membrane.
There is no denying that LDL cholesterol is important. However, just like with so many other things, too much of it is without question a bad thing. It can clog your arteries, cause your blood pressure to rise, and put you at risk of having heart disease, heart attack and stroke!
In lowering bad cholesterol, it’s important to follow the recommendations of your doctor. See to it that you abide by the diet and lifestyle changes he or she provides, as well at take the medications prescribed, if any. You may also try consuming some of the teas mentioned below to help in keeping bad cholesterol in check. Before taking any of the healthy teas that will be mentioned here, make sure that you tell your doctor about it. Read on!
Green Tea
This healthy beverage is known to thwart a wide variety of health problems, and having high bad cholesterol levels is one of them. Antioxidants in green tea are very good at reducing bad cholesterol, thus lowering your chances of ending up with the complications associated with high bad cholesterol levels.
Oolong Tea
Not a fan of green tea? Opt for oolong tea instead, a beverage that can help in zapping excessive amounts of bad cholesterol in the body, according to certain scientific investigations.
Holy Basil Tea
For so many years now, holy basil tea is being recommended by traditional healers to their patients who are bugged by high levels of bad cholesterol. Even though there are a lot of modern-day studies saying that there’s not enough conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of holy basil tea in dealing with too much LDL cholesterol, so many people still swear by it.
Peppermint Tea
A lot of people are aware that peppermint tea is great for dealing with indigestion. Did you know that a cup of this healthy beverage may also help keep at bay high LDL cholesterol levels? Peppermint tea is said to help reduce excess bad cholesterol by increasing the amount of good cholesterol.
Hibiscus Tea
It’s no secret that hibiscus is a beautiful flower. Here’s one more reason why hibiscus is indeed lovable: tea made from this flower is known to help increase good cholesterol levels, thus reducing the levels of bad cholesterol.
Turmeric Tea
Last but not least, there’s turmeric tea that is proven to help fight off too much bad cholesterol in the body. Making turmeric, a popular spice, very good at keeping bad cholesterol in check is a compound known as curcumin. According to the experts, curcumin possesses amazing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
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