Herbs, spices may help boost heart health
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Anew study has found that
spices and herbs don't just add flavour to your food, but may also help
boost your heart's health. According to nutritionists, the ingredients,
which are rich in antioxidants, help improve triglyceride concentrations
and other blood lipids.Triglyceride levels rise after eating a highfat
meal, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. If a
highantioxidant spice blend is incorporated into the meal, triglyceride
levels may be reduced by as much as 30% when compared to eating an
identical meal without the spice blend. Researchers Sheila G West
and Ann C Skulas-Ray looked at three categories of studies -spice
blends, cinnamon and garlic.They reviewed several cinnamon studies that
looked at the effect of the spice on both diabetics and non-diabetics.
Cinnamon was
shown to help diabetics by significantly reducing cholesterol and other
blood lipids in the study participants. However, cinnamon did not appear
to have any effect on non-diabetics.
The garlic studies reviewed were inconclusive, possibly because the trials had a wide Thinkstock range of garlic doses, from nine mil ligrams of garlic oil to 10 grams of raw garlic. The reviewers noted that across the stud ies there was an 8% decrease in total cholesterol with garlic consumption, which was associated with a 38% decrease in risk of heart problems in 50-year-old adults.
In the study conducted, meals were prepared on two separate days for six men between the ages of 30 and 65 who were overweight, but otherwise healthy . The meals were identical, consisting of chicken, bread and a dessert biscuit, except that the researchers added two tablespoons of a highantioxidant culinary spice blend, which included garlic powder, r o s e m a r y, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, turmeric, ginger and black pepper, to the test meal. The researchers followed the participants for three hours after each meal, drawing blood every 30 m i n u t e s .Antioxidant activity in the blood increased by 13% after the men ate the test meal when compared to the control meal, which may help prevent cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.
The garlic studies reviewed were inconclusive, possibly because the trials had a wide Thinkstock range of garlic doses, from nine mil ligrams of garlic oil to 10 grams of raw garlic. The reviewers noted that across the stud ies there was an 8% decrease in total cholesterol with garlic consumption, which was associated with a 38% decrease in risk of heart problems in 50-year-old adults.
In the study conducted, meals were prepared on two separate days for six men between the ages of 30 and 65 who were overweight, but otherwise healthy . The meals were identical, consisting of chicken, bread and a dessert biscuit, except that the researchers added two tablespoons of a highantioxidant culinary spice blend, which included garlic powder, r o s e m a r y, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, turmeric, ginger and black pepper, to the test meal. The researchers followed the participants for three hours after each meal, drawing blood every 30 m i n u t e s .Antioxidant activity in the blood increased by 13% after the men ate the test meal when compared to the control meal, which may help prevent cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.
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