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Plant Sterols And Plant Stanols
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Posted On :
Feb-18-2010
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Article Word Count :
540
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You may have heard about plant sterols and plant stanols before. But are you aware of what they are and how they can help you become healthier than you are at the moment?
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You may have heard about these before. But are you aware of what they are and how they can help you become healthier than you are at the moment?
Let’s look into what they are first of all. Plant sterols and stanols are actually very similar to the cholesterol we have in our bodies. You may know that our cholesterol is actually comprised of two different types of cholesterol. These are commonly known as ‘good’ cholesterol and ‘bad’ cholesterol.
In actual fact plant sterols and stanols are much the same, but they are found in the plant world rather than the animal world. In this case the stanols are the nasty ones and the sterols are the unsaturated ones. Once you have this similarity in your mind you can better understand how they work.
As time has gone by and research has been done on these sterols and stanols, it has been found that both of these have the ability to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol we have in our bodies. Needless to say this offers a better degree of health and a reduced chance of having heart trouble in the future. Bad cholesterol is capable of clogging up arteries around the body, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes if it becomes bad enough to block the arteries completely.
So how can we introduce more plant sterols and plant stanols into our diets?
The important thing to remember is that you are probably eating some already. There are many different types of foods which naturally have these sterols and stanols in them. A big clue is whether they are vegetable related or not. For example you will find them in vegetable oils and also in various different types of vegetables. They are also found in fruit although this is typically at a lower level.
Many dairy products such as margarines and yogurt drinks have also been formulated to contain more plant sterols and stanols. This also makes them easier to take on a daily basis since they replace the ordinary dairy products you might have been taking before.
But what do these sterols and stanols do to actually reduce those cholesterol levels?
The answer is quite simple – and very effective. Cholesterol itself is taken into the bloodstream, which is exactly what we don’t want. The sterols and stanols help to prevent this from happening. They move through the body and take hold of all the cholesterol and take it with them, so it isn’t allowed to hang around and lead to your cholesterol count going up.
Of course you shouldn’t just load up with sterols and stanols and not do other healthy things as well, such as getting regular exercise for example. But as you can see they do have a significant role to play and as such you can find plenty of ways to introduce them into your daily diet.
Always be on the lookout for other foods which contain plant sterols and plant stanols. It could make a bigger difference than you think.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Plant Sterols And Plant Stanols_11300.aspx
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Author Resource :
If you are looking for products that are all natural and work well with your healthy lifestyle then heartsavior.com is the online stop for you. Find products that will help lower your cholesterol naturally as well as other natural dietary supplements.
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Keywords :
How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally,
Category :
Health and Fitness
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Health and Fitness
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