According to a study, a certain protein powder could help lower cholesterol levels – among other health benefits.
Having high cholesterol means you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood. If left untreated it can lead to blockages in the arteries resulting in serious conditions such as heart attacks and strokes. However, there are ways to prevent or reduce the risk of this happening.
High cholesterol is caused by a number of factors including eating too much fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight or obese, smoking and drinking alcohol.
However, it can also run in families.
While long-term diet and other lifestyle changes are recommended to reduce your risk or lower levels, there are additional things you can consume to help.
meta-analysis of existing clinical trials, which was published in the Lipids in Health and Disease journal in 2020, found it not only lowered overall cholesterol but also “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein).
It also increased “good” cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein.
The paper says: “In a study in which patients with metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity) were taking yoghurt fortified with whey protein during 10 weeks, it significantly reduced triglycerides levels and insulin resistance, and significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
“Supplementation with whey proteins during 12 weeks in overweight and obese subjects was associated with a significant decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an improvement in fasting insulin concentrations and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance scores.