The question is quite common among people who wanted to find facts about their food and eating habit as well as the effect to the cholesterol level. One of the most important aspects that directly affect the cholesterol level is the consumed foods; other aspects like physical activities may contribute as well as to the level of cholesterol, but not as much as the food consumption. The dietary management in to control the nutrients from the consumed food is the main element to have healthier life and also healthier cholesterol level. Fruit is one of the common foods suggested to maintain the healthy cholesterol level; orange is one of common fruits that apparently can contribute to lower the cholesterol level. There was a study about salt intake and its effects to the cholesterol level as well that leads to the suggestion in combining lemon and salt as daily diet..
The Vitamin C
Lemon is having large amount of vitamin C just like any other citrus fruits; vitamin C is also commonly mentioned as ascorbic acid. The presence of vitamin C in the human body metabolism will affect the amount of cholesterol and lipid of the blood. Vitamin C will directly affect the cholesterol level by lowering the LDL or bad cholesterol level, but it does not affect the increasing level of the HDL or good cholesterol in the blood. Regular consumption of fresh and non pasteurized 8 ounce of lemon juice is providing 94 milligrams of vitamin C; exceeding the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults.
The Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the other nutrients contained by lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits. There are several flavonoids like limonin and eriocitrin that made the lemons, orange and other citrus fruits have bitter taste. The flavonoids are also having significant effects to the human metabolism and overall health. Regular intake of eriocitrin can reduce the total cholesterol level, LDL or bad cholesterol and phospholipids as well as triglycerides in the blood. Regular consumption of flavonoids can reduce the cholesterol level to 30% after consuming the orange in four weeks. The theory developed from the experiment mentioned the relation between limonin and apolipoprotein B which is a substance produced bu the liver that affect the cholesterol level in the blood.
Fiber Content
Fiber or commonly mentioned as dietary fiber is well known for its relation to the blood cholesterol level. There are fiber like pectin that can lower the level of the cholesterol; consuming foods like lemon or orange that contain citrus pectin can lower the cholesterol level of the blood. The regular consumption of citrus pectin in a daily basis for 16 weeks will reduce the 7.6% of total cholesterol and reduce the LDL cholesterol to 11%.
The Suggestion in Consuming Lemon
The important nutrients contained by the lemon for lowering the cholesterol level are vitamin C, flavonoids and the dietary fiber. The vitamin C and flavonoids are very sensitive to the heat and oxygen exposure that will trigger oxidation. It is suggested to consume fresh orange or lemon to acquire the best benefits from the fruit. The addition of lemon to the tea or leaving the peeled orange or lemon juice to the exposed air can reduce the benefits of the fruit due to the destruction of flavonoids and the vitamin C. The addition of lemon juice to salads or fresh beverages is the better option to reduce its sour taste while acquiring the best benefits from the fruit.
Combining Lemon and Salt
It was believed that reducing the salt consumption will reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack due to the lower blood pressure, but the recent studies found that the reduction of the dietary salt can cause the boost of the cholesterol level. The situation leads to the suggestion to maintain or manage the dietary salt consumption in order having balanced effects of ideal blood pressure and cholesterol level. The combination of lemon juice with the addition of a pinch of salt for daily consumption will provide the balanced health benefits. The combination of lemon and salt may deliver benefits to the weight reduction program. It is recommended to have the combination of the two every morning to lower the cholesterol level as well as to reduce the heart attack or stroke risks.
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