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Can you use emu oil to reduce high cholesterol levels?
Being diagnosed with an elevated cholesterol doesn't have to be terrible thing. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to improve your health which may help reduce or even normalize your cholesterol.
You need to follow an effective treatment plan that will fit into your lifestyle so you can reduce your risk for heart attack and strokes.
Traditional treatment for high cholesterol usually involves optimizing your your diet and exercising. If your cholesterol levels are excessively high, your doctor may prescribe statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor.
These drugs are effective, however, you may experience unwanted side effects, including nausea, muscle pain, kidney problems and liver dysfunction.
The most effective treatment is one that balances your cholesterol to a healthy range.
Emu oil contains a blend of healthy fatty acids and other nutritious fats.
Research has shown that some fatty acids may have a cholesterol-lowering effect on the body; particularly omega 3 fatty acids.
However, there are limited studies looking at emu oil's cholesterol-lowering effect; particularly in human studies.
There is some scant animal research using emu oil on cholesterol. While these test results can't be applied to humans, the research appears to show a promising role for this healthy oil.
Lowell, MA - Researchers fed hamsters a high cholesterol diet for two weeks to artificially raise their cholesterol levels.
Emu oil was then added to the diet and they continued the high cholesterol diet for another 4 weeks. Cholesterol levels were measured at the end of the study.
Researchers discovered emu oil reduced total cholesterol levels by over 30%. Most of the reduction was seen in LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) which decreased 25%.
Although this was an animal study, the preliminary results are encouraging.
Based on past research, the omega 3 fatty acids in emu oil may have caused the decrease in cholesterol.
If this is the case, could we use emu oil on cholesterol in people? Unfortunately, there are no published reports at this time.
Emu oil does contain an assortment of essential fatty acids, including omega's 3, 6, and 9. More research is needed to determine the optimal dosage of emu oil and its application in human cases.
That being said, research has proven there are health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, including the improvement in cardiovascular health and reductions in cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
For example, fish oils can lower cholesterol and exciting new research shows krill oil lowers high cholesterol by almost 20%.
Having a high cholesterol level can be a wake-up call to improve your lifestyle. With the appropriate treatment plan and a positive attitude, you can enhance your health and enjoy the benefits of a living a healthy life.
Effect of dietary oils on non-HDL-C in hypocholesterolemic hamsters. Biological Activity of Emu Oil. Robert Nicolosi, Subbiah Yoganathan, Thomas Wilson, Hajime Sasaki, Frank Orthoefer. University of Massachusetts of Lowell, The Forsythe Institute. Presented at 2001 American Oil Chemist Society Conference