A Supplement That May Lower Cholesterol Naturally... and that's just the beginning!

A remedy that may lower cholesterol naturally, while regulating weight gain, blood glucose levels and insulin responses sounds like a dream come true.

Wake Up!

Researchers followed a lead for a berry that has been historically used to treat high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. Thinking that chokeberries might offer benefits for metabolic syndrome - a combination of health traits like obesity, and high cholesterol that indicate a high risk for cardiovascular disease - researchers took a close look at how this natural remedy works in the lab.

Although rats given chokeberry supplements ate just as much as other rats, they gained less weight, had better cholesterol profiles, and regulated blood glucose and insulin better.

Rats were given a high-fructose diet containing a whopping 600 grams of fructose per kilogram of body weight daily. Even with the dietary odds stacked against them, rats given chokeberry extract fared better on all clinical measurements of cardiovascular and diabetes risk than rats fed the sugar-laden diet without chokeberry extract.

Typically, in rats, this diet leads to poor lipid profiles, hypertension (high blood pressure), insulin resistance (associated in humans with diabetes), and increased fat deposits.

Remember from all about cholesterol, that carbohydrate-laden diets put pressure on the liver to manufacture more cholesterol.

The rats given chokeberry extract showed changes in insulin signalling pathways, and fat cell regulation pathways. It is believed that chokeberry exerts its health benefits through very real biochemical effects.

It remains to be tested in humans, but chokeberries may turn-out to be a great natural remedy for people battling weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, inflammation and/or cardiovascular disease.

Chokeberries contain high concentrations of potent phytochemicals called anthocyanins and flavinoids. They also boast antioxidant levels higher than those found in blueberries, cranberries, and lingonberries.

Anthocyanins have been previously shown to combat diabetes, and inflammation, and offer protection for the cardiovascular system.

The best results were seen when chokeberry was supplemented at 200mg per kg of body weight each day. The extract used was CellBerry by Integrity Nutraceuticals; containing approximately 10% anthocyanins. Supplementing with 100mg per kg also netted similar results in many of the measurements.

It was disclosed that this research was condusted by the USDA in cooperation with Integrity Nutraceuticals.

Se our other articles on how to lower cholesterol naturally.

Reference

Qin B, RA Anderson. "An extract of chokeberry attenuates weight gain and modulates insulin, adipogenic and inflammatory signalling pathways in epididymal adipose tissue of rats fed a fructose-rich diet." Br J Nutr. Dec 2011; 6:1-7.

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