Nutritionist and gastroenterologist Nuriya Dianova, executive director of the ANO Research Centre for Healthy Nutrition, has named three simple actions that can help lower cholesterol levels without taking pills. She shared the advice in an interview with the Russian news outlet Lenta.ru.
Dianova's first recommendation is to cut out foods that cause what she called "sugar swings," including sweet yogurts, pastries and white bread. She said doing so helps stop the liver from producing excess cholesterol.
According to Dianova, too much added sugar in the diet forces the liver to release large amounts of insulin, which in turn triggers the production of fat and the body's own cholesterol. She suggested replacing those foods using a plate-based rule: half of a meal should be vegetables and fruit, with the remaining half split evenly between complex carbohydrates and protein.
Improving bile flow
Dianova said the second step to lowering cholesterol is improving bile outflow. She recommended soluble fibre such as psyllium, a fibre derived from the husks of the psyllium plant that is commonly used as a dietary supplement. She said it works like a sponge, absorbing bile acids in the gut and helping remove them from the body.
Psyllium should be taken strictly before meals and with a glass of water, Dianova said. Alongside it, she recommended adding prebiotic foods to the diet, including oat bran, apples, carrots, lentils and flax seeds.
Blocking cholesterol absorption
Dianova's third piece of advice is to eat a handful of nuts or seeds every day, dress salads with sea buckthorn, sunflower or sesame oil, and eat legumes regularly. She said this combination helps block the absorption of cholesterol that enters the intestines through food.
Other recent nutrition advice
The comments follow earlier remarks by nutritionist Pablo Ojeda, who named the worst product for health that can be found on supermarket shelves. He identified energy drinks as the item he considers most harmful.
