Even a small amount of ginger helps reduce blood lipids

High cholesterol: reduce blood lipids with healthy ginger

A high level of lipids in the blood is a major cause of arteriosclerosis (arteriosclerosis) and therefore cardiovascular disease. The reduction of regular exercise and possible overweight helps to balance the lipid levels in the blood. First and foremost, healthy eating is important. Studies have shown that ginger can make a positive contribution in this area.

Unhealthy living habits

According to experts, several million people in Germany take drugs to fight against their high levels of blood lipids. However, according to health experts, a majority of patients with high lipid levels have become ill because of unhealthy lifestyles. This is why it is often possible to tackle the problem by adopting a healthier lifestyle. As researchers have now found, ginger can make a significant contribution in this regard.

High levels of lipids in the blood can be dangerous

Lipids (colloquially also "fats") provide our bodies with energy and make an important contribution to many bodily functions. But too much of that can be dangerous.

Increasing lipid levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking are among the leading risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks or coronary heart disease.

According to health experts, the fight against obesity is one of the most important measures to reduce blood lipids. Regular exercise and a balanced diet are also important.

For example, sufferers should reduce the amount of fats in their diet, especially that of saturated fats. So less margarine, butter and meat and more fish fat and olive oil or rapeseed.

According to medical experts, half of the energy intake should consist of carbohydrates. Alcohol should be avoided if possible.

Some foods, such as nuts, can help lower cholesterol.

And ginger is also useful here, as have discovered Iranian researchers.

Tubes in good health

Numerous scientific studies have already shown that ginger not only contributes effectively to colds, but can also have other positive health effects.

The tuber acts thus, among others anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory and badgesic. It also helps reduce obesity.

In natural medicine, ginger has been used for a long time against high levels of lipids in the blood. The relevance of this information could now be shown again in a scientific study.

Reduction of "bad" LDL cholesterol

Many years ago, scientists from the Babol University of Medical Sciences (Iran) reported in the journal "Saudi Medical Journal" that ginger "has a significant lipid-lowering effect".

A few months ago, another study by Iranian researchers appeared in the journal "Phytomedicine", also suggesting that ginger has a positive influence on lipid levels in the blood.

To reach their conclusions, the team of researchers from several Iranian universities had included twelve studies (586 participants) in the meta-badysis and had studied the effect of ginger supplementation on lipid parameters.

The results of the badysis suggest that ginger supplementation could lower blood levels of triglycerides and blood levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins).

In addition, ginger has no influence on the total cholesterol level or on the "good" HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol.

Two grams of ginger a day

The problem, however, is that the individual studies differed considerably. Therefore, scientific studies on the dosage of ginger used were divided into different groups.

It was found that two grams of ginger a day or less resulted in a significant reduction in triglycerides and total cholesterol.

However, this could not be observed in studies in which more than two grams of ginger were used per day.

According to the study's authors, their findings suggest that ginger may have a positive effect on lipid levels in the blood. Now, more, more important studies are needed to confirm this. (Ad)