Jakarta: Cholesterol is one of the things the body needs to function properly. For example, the body needs cholesterol for the process of cell formation.
But if you take too much, it can cause very dangerous side effects. Excess cholesterol can increase the risk heart disease and stroke significantly.
Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your risk of high cholesterol, such as quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, and starting to eat healthier foods and drinks.
“Drinks with high antioxidants are an important thing to do if you want to try to balance cholesterol levels. One of them is unsweetened cranberry juice which is one of the best drinks for those with high cholesterol,” says Courtney D’Angelo, MS, RD, author on Go Wellness.
Cranberry juice may lower ‘bad’ cholesterol
When it comes to drinking cranberry juice, the key to its cholesterol-lowering properties are the natural nutrients found in cranberries. Cranberries contain powerful antioxidants, which have been shown to help lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein).
“It also increases the ‘good’ cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein). This process helps maintain a natural and healthy balance of cholesterol levels, says D’Angelo.
But if you want to consume or add more cranberry juice to your diet, be careful to read the nutritional content on the label when buying packaged cranberry juice.
“It’s important to pay attention to the label on the package, because you shouldn’t choose juices that don’t have added sugar, which we’re probably used to. Cranberry juice without added sugar may be bitter, but sugar can lower levels of “good” cholesterol, or HDL, which causes high cholesterol,” concluded D’Angelo.
(FIR)
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