Drink to lower cholesterol
Take the necessary steps to reduce your cholesterol level in order to lead a healthier life.
HIGH cholesterol levels were initially associated with the middle-aged and elderly, but are increasingly appearing in the younger generation. Many tasty Malaysian foods are laden with cholesterol (see table), so it is no wonder that an estimated six million Malaysians have high cholesterol, meaning every one in four Malaysian adults have high blood cholesterol.
The American Heart Association suggests no more than 300mg of cholesterol intake daily. If you have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, like obesity, smoking and hereditary factors, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200mg daily.
If you can’t resist the temptation of delicious foods and your blood cholesterol levels are hovering between normal to high, what do you do next?
The good news is high cholesterol is simple to detect and there are ways to bring it down. If your levels are high, then your doctor may prescribe you some cholesterol-lowering drugs. However, there are many of us out there with borderline high cholesterol levels, and we have been advised on lifestyle modifications, i.e. regular exercise and cutting down on cholesterol-rich foods.
You could also consider the option of supplementing your diet with oats and barley.
Oats and barley contain high levels of beta-glucan, which has been acknowledged by many expert bodies to help lower and reduce cholesterol levels, provided that one takes at least 3g of oats and barley soluble fibre (beta-glucan) daily, coupled with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Oats and barley beta-glucan helps to bind cholesterol from food and reduce absorption into the body. It binds to bile acid produced from cholesterol in the liver and removes it from the body, and also binds to saturated fat from the diet to reduce its absorption.
Beta-glucan delays the rate of absorption of glucose (sugar) in the small intestines and helps to decrease after-meal sugar spikes, which is beneficial for diabetics and pre-diabetics.
Besides helping to lower cholesterol and better blood sugar management, beta-glucan has also been found to help improve bowel function and support gut health.
Do you know that you would need to eat about three bowls of regular oatmeal in order to obtain 3g of soluble beta-glucan? This is no easy feat.
A more practical option would be to take a high beta-glucan drink made from oats and barley which contains up to 400% more cholesterol-lowering beta-glucan than natural oat bran, oatmeal or barley alone. This helps you to obtain enough beta-glucan in order to reduce cholesterol effectively.
Read all labels carefully and do not be confused by the many products in the market with varying numbers on their product labels. It makes no difference as each product’s daily recommended dose provides a minimum of 3gs beta-glucan.
Since most of us consume two heavy meals per day, it is best to take the recommended dose of 3g beta-glucan in two separate servings of a high beta-glucan drink to ensure optimal binding of beta-glucan to cholesterol from our food to reduce its absorption into the body.
Other factors to take into account include taste and convenience.
Many oat-based drinks taste very bland, so if there’s a way to make such drinks tastier, compliance would be better.
Take, for example, a drink made from oats and barley. It combines the best of both oats and barley in a 2-in-1 formula instead of just oat powder by itself, giving a better taste.
Aside from taste, the convenience of packaging is also vital. Dose-specific sachets that can be easily carried around in your pocket and handbag for work, leisure or travel, are easily available.
Source: The Star
Published: 10 Nov 2013
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
