Archive for February, 2010
Tart Cherry Extract Lowers Cholesterol And Reduces Weight
Once again the lab rat comes to the humans rescue. In a recent study the technicians fed their lab rats, some of which were obese, a typical western diet. They then divided the rats into two groups. The lucky one were fed tart cherry powder as 1% of their diet while the other group got no cherry powder.
At the end of the twelve week study the tart cherry eaters had 14% less body fat than the control group. Now that is easy weight loss, On top of that the cherry eaters total cholesterol was down 11%. In human terms that is dropping total cholesterol from 220 to 195. No human studies have yet been done.
As an added bonus the tart cherry extract takers also reduced two known markers for inflammation. To much abdominal fat produces both of these markers and these markers are linked to heart disease. All of this from a common fruit extract.
In 1999 the prestigious American Chemical Society published a report that tart cherries may relieve pain better than aspirin, NASD drugs and the side effect filled drugs such as the cox 2 inhibiting drugs like Vioxx. This was accomplished by eating 20 tart cherries daily. This amount was shown to reduce inflammation as well as all the drugs mentioned above.
All foods which are highly colorful like tart cherries have compounds call anthocyanins. These compounds are 10 times more powerful in reducing inflammation than aspirin. These compounds can protect you against the typical western diet. These compounds are bioflavonoids which are potent antioxidants some of the most potent in the fruit kingdom.
Your best bet for reducing cholesterol naturally is a diet based on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Reduce your intake of processed foods and meats of all kinds and watch your cholesterol drop to the normal range.