If you want to lower LDL or “bad cholesterol” naturally, the answer may be sitting in your spice rack.
Turmeric and cholesterol might not be a combination a lot of people think of. However, turmeric offers excellent support for healthy cholesterol.
Recommended: Discover How HeartBeet Complete (with turmeric) can Help Support Your Cholesterol
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is grown in Southeast Asian countries. Many have used it for thousands of years as a medicinal herb. Further, Ayurvedic Indian and traditional Chinese health practices utilize it extensively. It belongs to the ginger family and comes from the Curcuma long plant by drying the root and grinding it into powder. Due to its bright yellow color, many refer to it as “the golden spice.” It is the main ingredient in many Indian dishes. Most importantly, turmeric contains compounds called curcuminoids which have medicinal properties. The most crucial curcuminoid is curcumin.
How Does Turmeric Help with Cholesterol?
Curcumin lowers LDL cholesterol and prevents its oxidation, thereby suppressing plaque build-up in the arteries. Tumeric also appears to have the ability to prevent the production of cholesterol in the liver and also inhibits the intestines from absorbing it.
What Does the Research Say About Turmeric and Cholesterol?
Studies in the 1990s confirmed a connection between turmeric and cholesterol and how specifically it lowers LDL cholesterol. On such study, published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, showed that ten healthy volunteers consumed 500 mg of curcumin per day for one week. Not only did their blood levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol drop 33 percent, but their total cholesterol dropped 11.63 percent. In addition, the HDL or “good cholesterol” increased by 26 percent. (1)
How Can I Take Turmeric to See the Benefits
We recommend looking into HeartBeet Complete if you’re interested in increasing the amount of turmeric you are consuming. HeartBeet Complete supports your cholesterol with the nitrates included in beets, amino acids, turmeric, and CoQ10 along with critical vitamins and minerals.
If you’re looking to just add turmeric, here are some suggestions about how you can add more turmeric to your food:
- Curries
- Lentil soup
- Add to yogurt or mayonnaise-based veggie dip
- Sauteed onions or cauliflower
- Add to salad dressings
How Much Turmeric Do I Need?
About 500 mg a day is an excellent wellness dose with 700 mg twice daily being the recommended dose for fighting high cholesterol. For examply, there is approximately 200 mg of curcumin in one teaspoon of fresh or ground turmeric. You can add it to food, but it is a lot to consume daily. This is why turmeric is also available in capsules and as an extract. In addition, you should couple taking it with black pepper as it increases your body’s ability to absorb turmeric. So, most capsules and extracts should include black pepper, but verify on the label.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, “Turmeric in food is considered safe. Turmeric and curcumin supplements are considered safe when taken at recommended doses.”
Learn more about How HeartBeet Complete can help support healthy cholesterol levels.
