Why Beta-Glucan is Changing the Way We Lower Our Cholesterol
Typically, you are faced with 2 options to lower their cholesterol:
- Make dramatic changes to lifestyle and diet, which if you're like me takes an enormous amount of energy and personal will.
- Or your doctor will prescribe a form of statins. Statins are specifically formulated to lower your cholesterol levels; however, they are often accompanied with many negative side effects. In fact, there is quite a long running debate about whether the side effects caused by statins are worse than high cholesterol itself.
But what if there was another, easier, and more natural way to lower your cholesterol that doesn’t require enormous amounts of time, energy, or sacrifices to other aspects of your health? Luckily there is, the secret lies in a barley fiber called beta-glucan.
In this article, we will explain what barley beta-glucan is and why it is changing the way everyone should think about lowering cholesterol.
Why do we need to lower our cholesterol?
To begin with, not everyone needs to lower their cholesterol. Cholesterol occurs naturally in our bodies and provides vital contributions towards the formation of cells, vitamins, and hormones. We obtain cholesterol from 2 sources: our own liver which produces it, and from animal products that we consume. The problem is that if we produce or consume too much cholesterol, our LDL (the bad type of cholesterol) and total cholesterol levels can reach a point that puts us at increased risk of heart disease, ultimately increasing the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Because of this, doctors typically recommend taking steps to lower our cholesterol levels when they are too high.
What is barley beta-glucan?
Barley beta-glucan is a natural water-soluble fiber found in the cell walls of barley grains. That means it dissolves in water and other liquids, and can easily be added to foods. Barely beta-glucan has been extensively researched and proven to naturally lower your cholesterol levels. Brands like Cerabeta offer concentrated beta-glucan fiber that allow you to easily incorporate it into your diet so you can take full advantage of its natural cholesterol lowering effect.
Why is it changing how we lower cholesterol?
Simple, it works and it’s good for your overall health. Beta-glucan has been extensively proven by the scientific community as an effective method to naturally lower your cholesterol. You can see the extent of that research here. Health Canada and the European EFSA have all approved the health claim that consuming 3 grams of barley beta-glucan per day will lower your LDL (bad) and total cholesterol levels.
I’ve also had first-hand experience with beta-glucan's cholesterol lowering effect. Both of my grandmothers were recently diagnosed with having high cholesterol and were tasked by their doctors to reduce their levels. One of my grandmothers had even been a consistent user of psyllium fiber, however her cholesterol levels were still too high. After taking Cerabeta for a few weeks, their doctors confirmed that their cholesterol is now at safe, sustainable levels. All thanks to a few scoops of beta-glucan per day.
Don’t sacrifice other aspects of your health just to lower your cholesterol
While the results speak for themselves, another reason the power of beta-glucan is so great is that it doesn’t require any personal sacrifices. Beta-glucan fiber allows individuals to lower their cholesterol without relying so heavily on modifications to their diet and exercise routines. While it’s still recommended to eat a balanced diet to promote good cholesterol levels, beta-glucan can help pick up a lot of the slack to ensure you can achieve your health goals. Additionally, there are no negative side effects correlated with consumption of beta-glucan. Most statin users are much too familiar with the side effects associated with those drugs, which can include headaches, hypertension, sore muscles, nausea, and permanent liver damage to name a few. A review of some additional side effects of statins can be found in one of our other articles, written by our head food scientist at Cerabeta.
Instead of negative side effects, anyone who takes beta-glucan for lowering their cholesterol may notice some additional health benefits. These include improved overall gut health and digestion – as beta-glucan is a fiber after all. Beta-glucan also has a naturally low glycemic index and can help moderate your blood sugar levels. This means you will have longer lasting and steadier energy between meals. Remember, barley beta-glucan is made from just that, barley, so it’s 100% natural and therefore easily recognizable by your body.
Good for you, good for the planet
Finally, not only is beta-glucan good for you, it’s also a highly sustainable way for everyone in the world to lower their cholesterol. Barley beta-glucan is extracted from barley grains, keeping production simple and sustainable.
The extraction process primarily uses air and is water and energy efficient. Unlike many statin drugs and cholesterol lowering supplements, no chemicals or solvents are used at any point. This results in a clean process that is good for you and good for the planet.
Our vision
Our vision at Cerabeta is to make the cholesterol lowering power of barley beta-glucan available to everyone who is actively looking to lower or maintain healthy cholesterol levels. It is a logical, first step, that everyone can take to start lowering their cholesterol with no downside. Help us spread the word of this incredible fiber and help everyone in the world live healthier, longer lives with the people they love.
Continue Reading:
What is Barley Beta-Glucan?
Beta-Glucans: Not All The Same
Statin Side Effects
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