4 ways to eat garlic to help reduce blood cholesterol

Cholesterol is an important lipid in the blood that helps cells grow and produce hormones. However, "bad" cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the health website Verywell Health (USA).

Certain compounds in garlic may help reduce levels of harmful cholesterol in the blood.

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To reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood, people should eat garlic in the following ways:

Eating raw garlic reduces "bad" cholesterol levels

Raw garlic is rich in allicin, a sulfur-containing compound that forms when garlic is crushed or chopped. Allicin is the key ingredient responsible for many health benefits, including lowering cholesterol. Some research evidence suggests that eating raw garlic daily can reduce LDL “bad” cholesterol levels by about 9%.

To maximize the amount of allicin in garlic, people should crush or chop the garlic, then let it sit for about 10 minutes before eating. This helps the enzymes in garlic work more strongly, creating more allicin.

Add garlic to your daily meals

Cooking garlic at high temperatures can reduce the amount of allicin in garlic. However, cooking garlic also helps create other beneficial compounds, such as vinyldithiins. These have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anticancer, immune-boosting, and heart-healthy properties. To retain the most nutrients in garlic, people should add garlic at the end of the cooking process.

Eat fermented garlic

Fermented garlic is made by aging garlic in an ethanol solution for a long time. This increases the amount of water-soluble sulfur compounds. Research in the journal Science Direct shows that regularly eating fermented garlic can help reduce total cholesterol by 7% and "bad" LDL cholesterol by 10%.

In addition, fermented garlic can also reduce plaque buildup in the arteries and improve arterial elasticity, contributing to cardiovascular protection.

Combine garlic with lemon juice

Combining garlic and lemon juice can be extremely effective in improving blood lipids. A study published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the combination of garlic and lemon juice significantly reduced total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol, and blood pressure in people with dyslipidemia, according to Verywell Health .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/4-cach-an-toi-giup-giam-cholesterol-trong-mau-185250325195434347.htm