Here is a list of sixteen main anti-hyperlipidemic foods.
1. Fish Oils:
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an n-3 unsaturated fatty acid derived from fish oils. Kimura (2000) demonstrated that DHA produces an ameliorative effect on cholinergic nerve dysfunction in Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP).
The improved cholinergic nerve function induced by DHA might have an inhibitory effect on stroke-related behavior in SHRSP. Thus he suggests that long term administration of DHA may suppress the development of hypertension and stroke-related behavioral changes in SHRSP.
On the other hand, Almendingen et al. (1995) indicate that consumption of partially hydrogenated fish oil may unfavorably affect lipid risk indicators for coronary heart disease at least to the same extent as butterfat. To what extent the observed effects are due to the content of monoene trans, diene trans, or to the long chain saturated fatty acids in PHFO remains to be elucidated.
Halvorsen et al. (1996) did not find any significant differences on either conjugated dienes, lipid peroxides, uptake by macrophages or relative electrophoretic mobility of LDL. Vitamin E level in serum from subjects on the PHFO-diet was significantly higher compared to the two other diets. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the composition of the LDL particle between the three diet groups.
Diets rich in (n-3) fatty acids have been shown to be cardio-protective; these diets decreased inflammation, platelet aggregation, cardiac arrhythmias, triacylglycerols, number of total LDL, and small dense LDL particles and increased the (n-3) index, endothelial relaxation, and atherosclerotic plaque stability. Most of the earlier studies regarding the effects of long chain (n-3) PUFA on blood lipids were conducted with fish oils that contain a mixture of eicosa pentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA.
Recently a number of studies have been conducted with EPA and DHA individually. Results from these studies with individual fatty acids show that EPA and DHA have similar effects on some of the lipid variables, but they are assimilated to different concentrations in tissues and have different effects on lipoprotein particle size, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Many studies have reported that fish oil lowered total cholesterol (TC), low- density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations. Fish oil in combination with fish protein hydrolysate lowered plasma cholesterol increased hepatic cholesterol as compared to either of them alone.
Similarly, simultaneous ingestion of fish oil and sulfur amino acid (L-methionine and L-cystine) supplementation indicated that they have hypo-lipidemic effects in cancer-related hyper-lipidemia. Dietary fish oil suppressed the hepatoma-induced increase in cholesterogenesis in the host liver, and dietary methionine and cystine enhanced bile acid excretion into feces, which were the causes of the hypo-cholesterolemic effect.
2. Soya (Glycine Max):
Anderson et al. (1995) reported that ingestion of 47 g soy protein/d reduced serum total cholesterol by 9.3 per cent, LDL cholesterol by 12.9 per cent, and triacylglycerol by 10.5 per cent and increased HDL cholesterol by 2.4 per cent. Weggemans and Trautwein (2003) and Zhan and Ho (2005) found substantially weaker effects on lipid profile with soy protein that contained isoflavones.
Anderson et al (1995) and Zhan and Ho (2005) concluded that the effects were related to the initial serum lipid concentrations. Zhuo et al (2004) found that the consumption of soy protein with a high isoflavone content reduced serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations more than consumption of the same soy protein amount with low isoflavone content.
Consumption of isoflavones as a constituent of isolated soy protein resulted in small but significant improvements in the lipid profile in normocholesterolemic and mildly hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. Although the effects were small, it is possible that isoflavones may contribute to a lower risk of coronary heart disease if consumed over many years in conjunction with other lipid-lowering strategies.
The semi-purified extract of soy, rich in isoflavones, added to casein-lactalbumin protein did not have the same effects as intact soy protein on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. Other components of soy protein, either alone or in combination with isoflavones, may be involved in the effects.
Soy isoflavones significantly reduced serum total and LDL cholesterol but did not change HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol. Soy protein with enriched or depleted isoflavones also significantly improved lipid profiles. Soy protein with enriched isoflavones did significantly increase HDL cholesterol by 0.04 mmol/L (1.6 mg/dL or 3 per cent). Also, the reductions in LDL cholesterol were larger in hypercholesterolemic than in normocholesterolemic subjects.
Naturally occurring isoflavones with soy protein reduced the plasma concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol without affecting concentrations of triglycerides or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic volunteers consuming a National Cholesterol Education Program Step I diet. Ethanol- extracted isolated soy protein did not significantly reduce plasma concentrations of total or LDL cholesterol.
The mechanism of the cholesterol-lowering effect of isoflavones is not well understood, but it may be a result of the chemical and biological similarity to mammalian estrogens, which were shown to have cholesterol-lowering effects in humans.
Soy protein-rich foods may indirectly reduce cardiovascular disease risk if they replaced animal and dairy products that contain saturated fat and cholesterol. Soy-based supplements may therefore play a valuable role in reducing cardiovascular protection.
3. Fenugreek/Methi Seeds (Trigonella Foenum Graecum):
Studies on methi have shown significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and Triglycerides concentrations without any change in HDL-cholesterol concentrations. The steroidal saponins (diosgenin, yamogenin, tigogenin and neotigogenin) are thought to inhibit cholesterol absorption and synthesis and hence its potential role in arteriosclerosis. Sharma (1986) reported a decrease in total cholesterol levels in five diabetic patients treated with fenugreek seed powder (25g orally per day) for 21 days. The saponins also help to increase the cholesterol and bile acid excretion.
Stark and Madar (1993) too demonstrated that the hypo-cholesterolemic components i.e., saponins interact with bile salts in the digestive tract. Thus fenugreek seeds help in maintaining overall cardiovascular health. Bordia et al. (1997) studied the effects of fenugreek seed powder (2.5g administered twice daily for three months) in a sub group of 40 subjects. The subjects with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, showed significant decreases in the TC and TG levels, with no change in HDL-C level.
Bhardwaj et al. (1994) administered a powder containing methi seeds, Tundika and Meshasringi to 30 NIDDM Patients twice daily for 4 weeks and found a reduction in total as well as LDL cholesterol along with postprandial blood glucose. Sowmya and Rajyalakshmi (1999) observed significant reductions in TC and LDL-C levels in 20 adults with hypercholesterolemia who received 12.5 – 18.0 g powdered, germinated fenugreek seeds for one month, although no changes in HDL-C, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) or TG levels were observed.
At a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight alcoholic extract of fenugreek seeds reduced plasma cholesterol by 26.19 per cent and triglycerides by 36.6 per cent in triton treated hyperlipidemic rats. Chronic feeding of the same lowered the plasma and hepatic lipid levels by (47 per cent), due to activation of Lecithin-Acyl-Cholesterol-Transferase Chaturvedi et al. (2013) thus demonstrating the anti-dyslipidemic and anti-oxidant properties of the extract. Rats fed ethanol extract of defatted methi seeds (30 or 50 gms/Kg body weight were found to have a reduction of 18-26 per cent in plasma cholesterol and a tendency for lower concentrations of liver cholesterol.
4. Ajwain (Trachyspermum Ammi):
Ajwain has been shown to possess hypolipidemic and hypotensive effects. An ether extract of omum was found to inhibit platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA), epinephrine and collagen. But it was most effective against AA-induced aggregation.
Effect of omum on platelet thromboxane production could be explained as- (i) Reduced TxB2 formation in intact platelet preparations from added arachidonate, and (ii) Reduced formation of TxB2 from AA-labelled platelets after stimulation with Ca2+- ionophore A23187 by a direct action on cyclooxygenase. Thus an increased formation of lipoxygenase- derived products from exogenous AA in omum-treated platelets was apparently due to redirection of AA from cyclooxygenase to the lipoxygenase pathway.
Methanol and petroleum ether extracts of ajwain equivalent to its powder (2 g/ kg body weight) and simvastatin (0.6 mg/kg body weight) were equally effective in treating hyper-lipidaemia in albino rabbits. In fact, petroleum ether extract appeared to be more potent than methanol extract on the basis of increasing the level of HDL- cholesterol and lowering the LDL-cholesterol more effectively. It also reduced atherogenic index (total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol) more effectively than methanol extract due to the significant increase in HDL-Cholesterol (42 per cent).
5. Blue Berry (Vaccinium Ashei):
Blueberry extracts have high anti-oxidant potential and increase phase II enzyme activities in vitro. In healthy rats, short-term supplementation with freeze-dried whole blueberries, blueberry polyphenols, or blueberry flavonoids did not significantly increase phase II enzyme activities. However, supplementation with 1 per cent blueberry flavonoids did decrease oxidative DNA damage in the liver.
Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) also have a high antioxidant capacity. Rats on blueberry-supplemented diets lost only 17 +/- 2 per cent of neurons in the ischemic hippocampus. Neuroprotection was observed in the CA1 and CA2 regions, but not CA3 region, of the hippocampus. The blueberry diet had no detectable effects on the plasma or urine oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) or plasma lipids.
From these observations, Sweeney et al. (2002) concluded that consumption of low bush blueberries by rats confers protection to the brain against damage from ischemia, suggesting that inclusion of blueberries in the diet may improve ischemic stroke outcomes. Again, Wang et al. (2005) said that animals treated with blueberry, spinach, or spirulina had significantly lower caspase-3 activity in the ischemic hemisphere. In conclusion, our data suggest that chronic treatment with blueberry, spinach, or spirulina reduces ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis and cerebral infarction.
Though blueberry diets had no effect on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in lung, testis, kidney, or aorta, according to Wiseman et al (2011) dietary blueberries may be effective in man ageing early stages of hypertension, partially due to an inhibition of soluble ACE activity.
A 3 per cent blue berry diet may be capable of protecting the kidneys from oxidative damage in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats, thereby reducing the magnitude of hypertension as Shaughnessy et al (2009) found blueberry intake had no effect on urinary excretion of F2-isoprostanes and thus a systemic antioxidant effect of the berry may not be responsible for the anti-hypertensive effects. Blueberry fed rats had reduced markers of renal oxidative stress, such as proteinuria and kidney nitrites.
6. Jamun (Eugenia Jambolana):
Jadeja et al. (2012) demonstrated the anti-atherogenic potential of Jamun which has been suggested to be due to its high flavonoid content. Flavanoids in jamum were also instrumental in lowering oxidative intra-cellular stress, thus preventing depletion of cellular anti-oxidants and improving cell viability.
7. Chocolate:
Epidemiologic investigations support the hypothesis that regular consumption of flavonoid-containing foods can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). While flavonoids are ubiquitous in plants, cocoa can be particularly rich in a subclass of flavonoids known as flavanols.
A number of human dietary intervention trials with flavanol-containing cocoa products have demonstrated improvements in endothelial and platelet function, as well as blood pressure. A single ingestion of flavanol-containing cocoa was dose-dependently associated with significant acute increases in circulating flavanols. Diets rich in flavanols reverse vascular dysfunction in diabetes, highlighting therapeutic potentials in cardiovascular disease.
Wang-Polagruto et al (2006) was the first to identify beneficial vascular effects of flavanol-rich cocoa consumption in hyper-cholesterolemic postmenopausal women. In addition, our results suggest that reductions in plasma soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 after chronic consumption of a flavanol-rich cocoa may be mechanistically linked to improved vascular reactivity.
The daily consumption of flavanol-containing dark chocolate was associated with a significant mean reduction of 5.8 mmHg in systolic blood pressure. These human dietary intervention trials provide scientific evidence of the vascular effects of cocoa flavanols and suggest that the regular consumption of cocoa products containing flavanols may reduce risk of CVD.
The circulating pool of bioactive NO and endothelium-dependent vasodilation is acutely increased in smokers following the oral ingestion of a flavanol-rich cocoa drink. The increase in circulating NO pool may contribute to beneficial vascular health effects of flavanol-rich food.
8. Cheese:
Despite its high content of saturated fatty acids, cheese decreases plasma total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations when compared with an equivalent intake of fat from butter. This effect may be due to the high calcium content of cheese, which results in a higher excretion of fecal fat. Similarly, 40 g dairy fat (butter) eaten daily for 4 weeks, raised total and LDL cholesterol significantly but not cheese, as compared to a diet containing significantly less saturated fat. Therefore, Nestel et al (2005) feel that the dietary advice regarding cheese consumption may require modification.
9. Asafoetida (Ferula Assafoetida):
Asafoetida gum extract (0.3-2.2 mg/100g body weight) significantly reduced the mean arterial blood pressure in anaesthetized rats. Fatehi et al. (2004) concluded that the relaxant compounds in asafoetida gum extract might interfere with a variety of muscarinic, adrenergic and histaminic receptor activities or with the mobilization of calcium ions required for smooth muscle contraction non-specifically.
10. Cumin Seeds (Cuminum Cyminum):
The levels of tissue (liver and kidney) cholesterol and triglycerides decreased when cumin was given along with alcohol and thermally oxidized oil. The level of phospholipids also increased. The activity of phospholipase A and C decreased significantly in the liver of groups fed cumin seeds indicating that cumin can decrease the lipid levels in alcohol and thermally oxidized oil induced hepatotoxicity.
Administration to Wistar rats of the cumin essential oil could bring a 17.38 per cent decrease in WBCs count, and 25.77 per cent, 14.24 per cent, and 108.81 per cent increase in hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and platelet count, respectively. LDL/HDL ratio was also reduced to half, which adds to the nutritional effects of cumin.
The liver phospholipids fatty acid concentrations of 16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1 and 20:4 were near normal in cumin-treated rats when C. cyminum was administered at a dosage of 250 mg/kg body weight for 45 days.
11. Amla (Emblica Officinalis/Phyllanthus Emblica):
Amla is highly nutritious and could be an important dietary source of vitamin C, amino acids, and minerals. The plant also contains phenolic compounds, tannins, phyllembelic acid, phyllembelin, rutin, curcuminoids, and emblicol. Various parts of the plant show anti-diabetic, hypo-lipidemic, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-ulcerogenic, hepato-protective, gastro-protective, and chemo-preventive properties.
12. Drumstick (Moringa Oleifera):
Moringa oleifera is a highly valued plant, distributed in many countries of the tropics and subtropics. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics.
The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. Compounds, bearing thiocarbamate, isolated from the leaves of M. oleifera, fully acetylated glycoside, very rare in nature showed hypotensive activity.
Ethanol extract of drumstick leaves attenuated the development of pulmonary hypertension via direct vasodilatation and a potential increase in antioxidant activity. Chronic M. oleifera treatment resulted in significant favorable modulation of the biochemical enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase-MB) but failed to demonstrate any significant effect on reduced glutathione compared to the ISP control group.
Moringa treatment significantly prevented the rise in lipid peroxidation in myocardial tissue. Furthermore, M. oleifera also prevented the deleterious histo-pathological and ultra-structural perturbations caused by isoproterenol. Thus M. oleifera extract possesses significant cardio-protective effect, which may be attributed to its antioxidant, anti-per oxidative, and myocardial preservative properties.
Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess anti-tumor, antipyretic, anti-epileptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol lowering, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, hepato-protective, antibacterial and anti-fungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine, particularly in South Asia.
13. Cabbage (Brassica Oleracea):
Red cabbage extract fed to atherogenic diet induced hyper-cholesterolaemic rats significantly prevented elevation in serum and tissue lipids, circulating levels of cardiac and hepatic damage markers, and resulted in excretion of lipids through faeces. Also, the cabbage extract significantly attenuated alterations in the cardiac and hepatic antioxidants, and histopathological changes in cardiac and hepatic tissue.
The cabbage leaf extract has been found to possess cardio protective activity against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced cytotoxicity in H9C2 cells. The high content of anthocyanin’s in cabbage seems to be instrumental in lowering the intra-cellular oxidative stress/preventing depletion of cellular antioxidants and improving cell viability.
14. Saffron (Crocus Sativus):
The two active constituents, crocin and safranal from saffron have been found to be hypotensive in dose-dependent manner and safranal seems to be more effective than crocin.
15. Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica):
Treatment of hyper-cholesterolemic hamsters with the tamarind fruit pulp extract (5 per cent) led to a decrease in the levels of serum total cholesterol (50 per cent), non- HDL cholesterol (73 per cent) and triglyceride (60 per cent), and to an increase of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (61 per cent).
In vitro, the extract presented radical scavenging ability, as assessed by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radical’s assays, and led to decreased lipid peroxidation in serum, as assessed by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay.
In vivo, the extract improved the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system, as assessed by the superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities. Together these results indicate the potential of tamarind extracts in diminishing the risk of atherosclerosis development in humans.
16. Almonds:
Almonds are a whole food rich in numerous beneficial nutritive and bioactive compounds like fatty acids, dietary fibers, micronutrients and phytochemicals. Almond consumption has been associated with improvements in serum lipid profiles. A growing number of human nutritional studies have revealed that almonds have a cholesterol-lowering effect.
Diets supplemented with almonds or almond products (i.e., oil and butter) have been shown to produce a moderate, yet significant decrease in plasma total cholesterol (3-11 per cent) and plasma LDL cholesterol (3-18 per cent) which demonstrates a potential benefit from consuming almonds on improving cardiovascular health.
Proteins in almonds have an arginine-rich amino acid profile that is thought to be cardio-protective. In addition, they are good sources of dietary fiber and phyto-chemicals, such as plant sterols, which have been shown to contribute to reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Almonds are rich in tocopherols, especially α-tocopherol, which has demonstrated potent anti-atherogenic effects. Recently, Hyson et al (2002) postulated that the beneficial effects of almonds might be mediated by the lipid fraction.
However, the fat content and energy density of almonds raise concerns that chronic consumption will promote weight gain. But Hollis and Mattes (2007) confirmed that ten weeks of daily almond consumption did not cause a change in body weight predominantly due to compensation for the energy contained in the almonds through reduced food intake from other sources. Moreover, inefficiency in the absorption of energy from almonds was documented (P < 0.05).
No changes in resting metabolic rate, thermic effect of food or total energy expenditure were noted. A daily 1440 kJ serving of almonds, sufficient to provide beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, may be included in the diet with limited risk of weight gain. Zaveri and Drummond (2009) also demonstrated that snacking on almonds, in comparison to cereal bars, promoted a higher eating frequency, but not a higher energy intake. Snacking on either almonds or cereal bars did not result in weight gain, suggesting that energy compensation took place.
Recently, Foster et al (2012) observed that the hypo-caloric, almond-enriched diet as well as the hypo-caloric nut free diet groups experienced clinically significant and comparable weight loss at 18 months. Despite smaller weight loss in the almond group at 6 months, there were greater improvements in lipid profiles.
Ortiz et al (2012) on reviewing the available data concluded that increase in almond intake contributed to the reduction in plasma total cholesterol and plasma LDL-C to a greater extent than a reduction in dietary saturated fatty acid (SFA), but a simultaneous decrease in dietary SFA should further improve lipid profiles. Spiller et al (2003) observed that unblanched almonds-whether raw, dry roasted, or in roasted butter form-can play an effective role in cholesterol – lowering, plant-based diets.
Consumption of plant sterols, soyabean proteins, viscous fibre and nuts are known to modulate the risk of CVD favorably through their cholesterol-lowering properties, both independently and more recently in combination. Jenkins et al. (2003a, b), Lamarche et al (2004) and Gigleux et al. (2007) assessed the effect of incorporating concurrently plant sterols (1g/4.2 MJ), soyabean protein (23g/4.2MJ), viscous fibre (9 g/4.2 MJ) and almonds (15 g/4.2 MJ) into a diet very low in saturated fat in twelve patients with mildly elevated plasma LDL-C levels.
The diet-induced reduction in plasma LDL-C of 30.0 per cent (P < 0.0001) was attributed to concurrent reductions in the serum cholesterol concentrations of large (P < 0.001), medium (P < 0.001) and small (P < 0.01) LDL particles, with near maximal reductions seen by week 2. The reductions in plasma LDL-cholesterol levels with the combination diet and with statins were comparable. Thus it is quite clear that combining a number of foods and food components in a single dietary portfolio may lower LDL-C similarly to statins and benefit cardiovascular disease risk both by reducing serum lipids and also blood pressure.