Eat tomatoes for better cholesterol

Need to lower your LDL or bad cholesterol? Add tomatoes to your diet. Adults who had high cholesterol but were otherwise healthy were able to lower their LDL levels by eating lycopene-rich tomato products every day, explains Robin Miller, MD.

Transcript

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Hi, this is Dr. Miller with a quick tip to improve your cholesterol. [UPBEAT MUSIC]

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To lower your LDL cholesterol, that's the harmful kind, make marinara your go-to sauce whenever you have pasta.

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It's simply tomatoes cooked with some seasoning and couldn't be easier to make. In one study, adults who had high cholesterol

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but were otherwise healthy were able to lower their LDL levels simply by eating lycopene-rich tomato products every day.

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They consumed at least 25 milligrams of lycopene daily for several weeks. That's equal to a half cup serving.

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By the end of the study, most people had knocked their LDL levels down by 10% Researchers think that lycopene reduces cholesterol

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in a couple of ways. They think it inhibits the production of artery clogging LDL and breaks down LDL once it's in the bloodstream.

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Marinara sauce isn't just for pasta. You could add it to hot sandwiches, warm flatbreads, chicken, and seafood.

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[ITALIAN] That means eat well. [AUDIO LOGO]