Named an ingredient that should be added to dishes to reduce cholesterol

A certain ingredient added to food has been found to have a noticeable effect on lowering the level of “bad” cholesterol, whose high concentration contributes to heart disease and stroke. Scientists pay general attention to humble barley.

“Bad” LDL cholesterol sticks to the inner walls of arteries in the form of plaques, and when they accumulate significantly, they can clog the lumen and limit blood flow to the heart and brain. This can ultimately cause a cardiovascular disaster, so it's important to keep LDL levels as low as possible, doctors stress.

They point to one promising ingredient, citing a research review published in The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition – According to its data, barley can lower LDL cholesterol by seven percent. The review included 14 studies with clinical trials conducted in seven countries.

“This work showed that barley has the same cholesterol-lowering effect as oats, which is considered the most useful grain in this regard,” experts noted.

Commenting on the results of the project, one of them, Dr. Volodymyr Vuksan, reported that barley has a lowering effect on the level of “bad” cholesterol in people at high risk, but will also benefit people without high cholesterol. According to the doctor, you can use barley in various ways: he recommends adding this ingredient to already familiar recipes and dishes – for example, adding it to salads, using it as a side dish instead of rice and mashed potatoes, or as an alternative to oatmeal. In addition, tea can be prepared on the basis of barley.

In general, to reduce high cholesterol, experts advise reducing the amount of fatty foods, especially those containing saturated fat. Scientists consider meat pies, sausages and fatty meats, butter, hard cheeses, cakes and cookies, as well as products and dishes containing coconut or palm oil to be such.