Q. I lowered my bad cholesterol from 147 to 119 over several months by eating an avocado a week and taking two lecithin capsules a day. I found the avocado recommendation on your website. Thank you!
A. Avocados used to be considered forbidden fruit because of their high fat content. Research now suggests that the monounsaturated fats in avocados help lower serum lipids, including LDL cholesterol (Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dec. 14, 2010).
Lecithin is a complex of fatty substances that occurs naturally in foods like soybeans or egg yolks. It isn’t clear how well it lowers cholesterol. Although some animal studies seem promising (Life Sciences, Oct. 13, 2000), there isn’t much human research. One study does suggest, however, that soy-derived lecithin can prevent the re-absorption of cholesterol from the intestines, resulting in lower blood fats (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Sept., 2000).
We offer a number of natural approaches to lowering cholesterol in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. You’ll find a cholesterol-lowering smoothie as well as suggestions on walnuts, vinegar, oatmeal, grape juice, fish oil and cinnamon.
