A green fruit often mistaken for being a vegetable contains various important vitamins and may help cut cholesterol, a pharmacist says.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in blood, which is produced naturally in the body. It’s essential to various bodily functions, but can become an issue when the levels in our bodies are too high.
Elevated amounts can result in our blood vessels becoming bunged up, making it more difficult for the blood to pass through.
The health implications of high cholesterol can be serious, increasing the risk of a number of dangerous complications including heart attacks and strokes.
Excessive cholesterol can be caused by multiple factors, including genetics. But, in most cases it’s caused by lifestyle impacts such as having a poor diet, not getting enough exercise. Smoking and drinking alcohol (especially heavily) is also known to raise cholesterol levels.
In some cases, people will need medication to address it, though cholesterol can also be lowered through getting more exercise and switching to a healthier diet.
Experts recommend cutting down on fatty foods, specifically saturated fats, like processed meats, cheese, butter and cakes to lower cholesterol, and the NHS recommends increasing intake of fruits and vegetables for people with elevated levels.
But research suggests one fruit in particular could be particularly beneficial.
Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist at Chemist Click Online Pharmacy previously spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about the okra, a flowering plant native to East Africa. Though it’s technically a fruit from a botanical perspective, its often used more like a vegetable for culinary purposes.
“Some studies have suggested that okra, also known as lady’s fingers, may play a role in reducing cholesterol,” Abbas explained.
“It is commonly used in soups and stews and a thick, gel-like substance found in okra, called mucilage, can bind with cholesterol during digestion so it is passed from the body.
“Studies conducted on mice showed lower blood cholesterol levels after they were fed a high-fat diet containing okra powder.”
The study Abbas pointed to was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in 2014, and found that obese mice that were fed the fruit saw their cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels reduced.
“Our results indicate that okra may serve as a dietary therapy for hyperglycaemia [high blood sugar] and hypertriglyceridemia- [high levels of fat in the blood],” the study concluded.
Abbas says okra is also “rich in vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants that help reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease”.
However, he cautioned that people with diabetes “should be cautious when adding more okra into their diets, as it can also interfere with metformin, a medication often used to treat type 2 diabetes”.
Harvard Medical School identifies the fruit as one of 11 types of foods that can bring down levels of low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, due to the fruit being both “low calorie” and rich in soluble fibre.
High cholesterol doesn’t usually cause symptoms and you find out whether you have it by taking a blood test, the NHS website says.
Your GP may recommend getting tested to find out if your cholesterol level is high. If you’re concerned that you may have high cholesterol, speak to your doctor and follow medical advice.