A green fruit commonly used in soups is packed full of important vitamins and may be beneficial for people with high cholesterol, a pharmacist says.
Cholesterol is produced naturally in the body, and is a fatty substance essential to various bodily functions.
But when cholesterol levels in our bodies become too high, it can bung up our blood vessels and make it more difficult for the blood to pass through.
The health implications can be dire, with high cholesterol increasing the risk of several dangerous complications including strokes and heart attacks.
Multiple factors can contribute to elevated amounts of cholesterol in our systems, including genetics. However, in most cases it’s caused by lifestyle impacts like having a poor diet, not getting enough exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Some people will need medication to address it, but cholesterol can also be lowered through healthy eating and getting more exercise.
Cutting down on fatty foods, specifically saturated fats, like processed meats, cheese, butter and cakes, is known to be a good way to lower cholesterol, and the NHS also advises people to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.
Research suggests one fruit in particular could be particularly benficial, by binding with cholesterol during digestion.
Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist at Chemist Click Online Pharmacy previously spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about the okra, a flowering plant in the mallow family native to East Africa, commonly used more like a vegetable in cooking.
“Some studies have suggested that okra, also known as lady’s fingers, may play a role in reducing cholesterol,” he explained.
“It is commonly used in soups and stews and a thick, gel-like substance found in okra, called mucilage, can bind with cholesterol during digestion so it is passed from the body.
“Studies conducted on mice showed lower blood cholesterol levels after they were fed a high-fat diet containing okra powder.”
The study Abbas referenced was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in 2014, and found that after feeding the fruit to obese mice their cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels were reduced.
“Our results indicate that okra may serve as a dietary therapy for hyperglycaemia [high blood sugar] and hypertriglyceridemia- [high levels of fat in the blood],” the study concluded.
Okra is also “rich in vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants that help reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease”, Abbas says.
But he cautioned that people with diabetes “should be cautious when adding more okra into their diets, as it can also interfere with metformin, a medication often used to treat type 2 diabetes”.
Okra is identified by Harvard Medical School as one of 11 types of foods that can decrease low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, due to the fact that the fruit is both “low calorie” and high in soluble fibre, it says.
High cholesterol doesn’t usually cause symptoms and you can only find out if you have it by taking a blood test, according to the NHS website.
Your GP may recommend having one to find out if your cholesterol level is high. If you’re concerned about your cholesterol levels speak to your doctor and follow medical advice.
