Eating Garlic Regularly Can Lower Cholesterol by Up to 10%

Jakarta –

Garlic has many health benefits. One of them is by helping to naturally reduce cholesterol levels by up to 10%.

Irregular eating patterns and excessive fat intake can trigger a spike in blood cholesterol which results in the risk of serious disease. Such as heart problems to strokes.

There are two types of cholesterol or blood fat content, namely bad cholesterol or LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) and good cholesterol or HDL (High Density Lipoprotein). Basically, there are types of cholesterol that the body really needs.

Bad cholesterol is cholesterol that is dangerous for health. Meanwhile, good cholesterol functions to clean dangerous cholesterol in the blood. Then it flows back to the liver to be removed by the body as poison.

Eating Garlic Regularly Can Lower Cholesterol by Up to 10% Photo: iStock Illustration

Reporting from Mirror UK (25/12), apparently there is an easy way to help lower blood cholesterol levels. One way is to regularly consume 3-6 grams of fresh garlic per day.

This method is believed to help reduce cholesterol levels by up to 10%. There are several studies that claim that consuming garlic can reduce cholesterol significantly. This is because of the high allicin content. Allicin is an antioxidant found in garlic and makes garlic smell pungent.

Allicin is a type of antioxidant which also gives garlic its distinctive aroma. This content is said to block the production of bad cholesterol or LDL in the liver by binding to LDL receptors on liver cells.

The effects are often dose-dependent, meaning that higher doses of garlic may cause greater reductions in LDL.

Eating Garlic Regularly Can Lower Cholesterol by Up to 10% Photo: iStock Illustration

Some researchers believe that the type and form of garlic consumed has different effects. There are researchers who recommend that aged garlic extract is the best for lowering cholesterol.

Meanwhile, other research states that garlic sold in finely chopped or granulated form is no longer effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

Even though garlic has good benefits for helping lower cholesterol, senior dietitian from the British Heart Foundation, Victoria Taylor, said that this kitchen spice is only a small part of the steps to lowering cholesterol.

Implementing an overall lifestyle is still necessary to reduce bad cholesterol levels and avoid various cholesterol risk factors.

“Garlic can add flavor to food without adding salt. However, to overcome the risk of heart and circulatory disease, it is important to think about your diet as a whole, not just one ingredient. Don’t just rely on garlic to reduce risk,” he concluded.

(sob/odi)