2022.12.20 Plant Based Treasure Valley
Source: Nutritionfacts.org, Dr. Greger https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-kale-and-cabbage-for-cholesterol/
Additional information from: https://nutritionfacts.org/2022/04/28/sources-of-oxidized-cholesterol/
Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables has been reported to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.
LDL cholesterol is bad but oxidized LDL may be worse. What role may our diet play?
Oxidized LDL is LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) that has been modified by oxidation. Oxidized LDL triggers inflammation leading to the formation of plaque in the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis.
****Chicken, fish, and egg powder in processed foods present greater risk from cholesterol oxidation byproducts, but there are things you can do to reduce exposure. “A significant body of evidence indicates that oxidized cholesterol, in the form of oxysterols, is one of the main triggers of AD [Alzheimer’s disease].” But, that’s not all. Cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) “are associated with the initiation and progression of major chronic diseases,” including heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure. COPs are produced when animal products are heated. All forms of cooking can do it, since you can get “maximum cholesterol oxidation and COP production” at only about 300 degrees Fahrenheit.****
(Food processing, especially heat treatment and drying, induces cholesterol oxidation in foods including dairy products, eggs, meat, and fish. Oxidized cholesterol is also present in bakery products, since the major ingredients, eggs and butter, contain large amounts of oxidized cholesterol.)
It is thought that all of the antioxidants in healthy plant foods prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
“The LDL oxidation resistance was found to be greatest” among those eating more plant-based foods.
So, that would be “in addition to the decreased blood pressure” and lower LDL overall in terms of “beneficial effects.”
But, according to Dr Greger: You don’t know if it’s cause and effect, until you put it to the test. When people were put on a whole-food plant-based diet for just three weeks, the rates and extent of LDL oxidation drop.
“The effects of kale” on LDL oxidation were put to the test. Kale is a best-of-all-worlds food, low in calories and packed to the hilt with nutrition—vitamins, minerals, anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidant phytonutrients—you name it. No surprise, then, given its “high antioxidant capacity... kale showed a protective effect on the oxidation of [LDL] even at low concentrations.” But, this was in vitro, in a test tube. Kale was also put to the test in mice. But, what about people?
Dr Greger discussed that “drinking kale juice improves coronary artery disease risk factors in men with high cholesterol”. The results demonstrated a 20% drop in LDL (among the nonsmokers). But, they were drinking the equivalent of about 10 cups of kale a day.
They were able to see such an improvement, even though nearly all the fiber was removed, because it was just juice, showing that there does seem to be something special in the plant. But, can you benefit by just eating the kale?
Dr Greger discussed, ”The effect of black and red cabbage on...oxidized LDL cholesterol.” (black cabbage is lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur or Tuscan kale). Researchers had people eat a bag of frozen kale and cabbage a day for just two weeks—which is great because you can just keep it in the freezer, pre-washed, pre-chopped, and just throw it in any meal you are making. There were “significant reductions” of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and even blood sugar levels. And, the antioxidant capacity of their blood went up. In addition, there was “a significant decrease” in oxidized LDL, too.
Researchers wondered if it would have been better to take the red cabbage and ferment it into sauerkraut? Red cabbage is packed with antioxidants, it is cheap and it lasts a long time in the fridge. But, when you ferment it, not only do you add way too much salt, but you end up wiping out some of the nutrition. There is a big spike in the antioxidant capacity of your bloodstream in the hours after eating fresh red cabbage—cut down by almost 30% if you ate the same amount in fermented form.
Cabbage does not have to be raw. Some “cooking techniques may improve the...antioxidant activity in kale and red cabbage.” “The effects of the cooking process can be positive, since cooking softens the vegetable tissues,” helping your body extract the active compounds. “However, cooking can also be negative, because heat treatment can degrade [some of the] compounds. Researchers looked at a variety of different cooking methods, and concluded “steaming [may] be considered to be the best home cooking technique to prepare kale and red cabbage.”
The takeaway: These foods are so healthy, and the best way to prepare them is whatever way will get you to eat the most of them.