Can a Tiny Fruit Clear Away Bad Cholesterol?

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Chow down on cherries to cut LDL cholesterol levels. The tiny cherry, containing more than 17 phytochemicals, appears to work like a charm in clearing away artery-clogging plaque better than vitamin supplements.

A small, 12-week University of Delaware study of healthy seniors showed just how good these tasty treats are for your ticker.

  • Participants who drank 2 cups of tart cherry juice a day experienced significant drops in their LDL cholesterol — the kind that builds up on the walls of your blood vessels and can block blood flow — compared with a control group who drank the same amount of unsweetened cherry-flavored Kool-Aid.
  • What’s more, the cherry juice drinkers also experienced improvements in their systolic blood pressure — a measure of the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart beats.
And the reason behind the results? The researchers cite all the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in tart cherry juice’s phytochemicals — anthocyanins included.

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  • FC&A Staff Writer