Exercise and proper nutrition are the key to lowering cholesterol
In addition to exercise, diet plays a key role in maintaining cholesterol levels. Experts at The New England Journal of Medicine claim that proper nutrition can lower cholesterol levels by 20 percent in just three months.
LDL cholesterol can be lowered with the help of certain types of foods. These are foods rich in sterols and stanols. Eating foods that contain sterols and stanols is the easiest way to lower the bad LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sterols and stanols occur naturally, in small amounts, in many grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Because they have strong cholesterol-lowering effects, manufacturers have started adding them to food.
Stanols and sterols are found in margarine, orange juice, oat flakes etc. Molecularly, sterols and stanols are very similar to cholesterol. When they travel through the digestive system, they prevent bad cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Thus, cholesterol does not stick to the walls of blood vessels, but is excreted as waste material.