Cholesterol drops with common Asian food

One specific Asian food lowers bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol and burns body fat, according to a new study in the Journal of Functional Foods.

It’s also dirt-cheap, delicious and sold in all supermarkets.

Our gut bacteria play a major role in storing fat, managing cholesterol and processing food. Kimchi’s probiotic-rich composition made it an ideal candidate for the study.

The study involved 90 adults aged 20 to 65, all slightly overweight (BMI: 23–30 kg/m²).

Participants were divided into three groups:

1. A placebo group with no kimchi.
2. A group receiving spontaneously fermented kimchi powder.
3. A group receiving kimchi powder fermented with starter bacteria.

For 12 weeks, participants consumed their assigned capsules daily. Researchers monitored body composition with advanced scans, analyzed blood markers for cholesterol, and assessed gut bacteria through fecal samples.

Here’s what they discovered:

• Lower Body Fat: Both kimchi groups experienced significant drops in body fat, with the starter-fermented group seeing the most benefits.

• Improved Cholesterol Levels: In the starter-fermented group, LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and triglycerides decreased, while HDL (“good” cholesterol) increased.

• Stable Weight: Kimchi groups maintained weight, while the placebo group gained weight.

• Healthier Gut Bacteria: Both kimchi groups saw an increase in Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium linked to better metabolism, and a decrease in Proteobacteria, associated with poor gut health.

These findings highlight kimchi’s potential for managing cholesterol and weight.

Kimchi is also versatile and delicious; add it as a side dish, mix it into salads, or top off your favorite rice or noodle dishes.

Normalizing your blood cholesterol is one of the most important things you can do to avoid stroke and heart attack. But there’s one ingredient everyone eats without noticing that piles up cholesterol plaque in your arteries – cut it out now…

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