Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will be 90 years old in April and is still going strong. Could one of her secrets of longevity be her favorite tea — Earl Grey?
Bergamot, best known for the distinctive flavor it lends to Earl Grey tea, lowers cholesterol naturally and safely. Several studies have shown it reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, while raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
"Bergamot lowers triglycerides, raises HDL cholesterol, lowers inflammatory LDL, and helps control blood sugar and improve arterial health," nationally known nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of
Smart Fat: Eat More Fat. Lose More Weight. Get Healthy Now, tells Newsmax Health.
An Italian study published in the
International Journal of Cardiology found that taking bergamot extract reduced cholesterol from 289 milligrams per deciliter of blood to 191. In patients who were taking statins, doctors were able to cut their dosages in half without lowering their effectiveness.
Bergamot is an extract made from the pear-shaped, bitter citrus bergamot fruit grown in Italy, which is too bitter to drink as a juice.
Researchers found that bergamot contains flavonoids that interfere with the natural synthesis of cholesterol in the body.
"We've been taught that lowering cholesterol is synonymous with lowering heart disease," says Bowden. "Since the 60s, we've divided cholesterol into two big categories — LDL, which we call bad, and HDL, which we call good.
"That's out of date," says Bowden. "There are many subclasses of LDL and HDL and they behave differently. For one thing, LDL is divided into LDL-A and LDL-B. LDL-A is relatively harmless, but LDL-B is inflammatory and harmful.
"Bergamot lowers levels of LDL-B, so you have more A and less B."
"Bergamot also doesn't appear to interfere with the production of coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, which is a major fuel for the heart and is depleted by statin drugs."
"Bergamot not only lowers triglycerides, raises HDL, and lowers inflammatory LDL, but also helps control blood sugar and improves arterial health," says Bowden.
Bowden suggests that bergamot supplements can help keep your cholesterol levels healthy but advises taking care in choosing a brand. He recommends ResVitále Bergamot Cholesterol Support, which is the same bergamot extract used in the Italian study.
"I'm not saying you can pop bergamot pills and still have an unhealthy lifestyle and you'll be fine, but it has a nice effect on the risk factors for metabolic syndrome, which leads to heart disease," Bowden said. "It lowers triglycerides, changes LDL-B to A, lowers inflammation, and blood sugar. That's a trifecta!"