Chia Benefits

Chia Benefits

It is no secret to anyone who has spent anytime researching cholesterol, or has been startled by the numbers coming back on their cholesterol tests that there is something of a high cholesterol epidemic in the U.S.

Although there are genetic factors at play as well, the overwhelming reason for the increase in high cholesterol is the modern western diet.

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body, being produced by the liver in enough quantities to ensure cell membrane flexibility and health. The problem comes about because, for too many of us, our diets are very dependent on animal fats and tissue and do not include enough soluble fiber from whole grain, vegetables, and fruit.

For others, their genetic make up works against them. High cholesterol can be handed down in the family tree and have very little to do with diet or lack of exercise.

The good news is that, for many sufferers, high cholesterol levels can be lowered in many ways including losing weight, life style changes like getting more exercise and changing your diet to go easier on meat and dairy and heavier on fruits and vegetables.

But for some unfortunates who see no changes after making these changes, or whose genetic inheritance includes higher than optimal cholesterol, the most popular recourse is to a series of statin drugs such as Lipitor. Generally, these drugs are very successful in lowering LDL cholesterol numbers but they are not without risk. As many as 25 percent of patients who are prescribed statins quit taking them within six months because of painful, unpleasant side effects such as muscle spasms.

For these few who cannot tolerate statins, they must continue to rely on diet, exercise and some specific dietary supplements.

Health food stores and the internet overflow with products that promise to lower cholesterol without difficulty. For most, there is no evidence whatsoever that they have any effect at all on cholesterol levels.

However, there are some supplements that will help to lower cholesterol levels when taken as part of an overall effort to lower LDL naturally, without drugs.

The very best whole food dietary supplement available is chia seed. Chia has been classified as a raw, whole food by the FDA and is a concentrated source of Omega-3 fatty acids and also delivers a great many vitamins and nutrients including Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, and others.

Chia seed is available at any health food store. There is some dispute whether the black or the white chia seed is superior but chemical analysis has shown that the two seeds are identical to each other.

Try adding Chia to your diet for a period of thirty days and see if you don’t feel much better and have a lower cholesterol reading as well.

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