Guide To The Top Heart-Healthy Foods

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol and also help regulate blood sugar. This is important for heart health because high blood sugar can increase an individual's risk of getting heart disease. Another factor that makes chia seeds heart-healthy is their ability to reduce chronic inflammation in the body. Inflammation puts a lot of strain on the heart, and it can lead to heart disease if the inflammation continues for too long. Researchers often measure levels of proteins called inflammatory markers to gauge how much inflammation is going on in an individual's body. Studies have shown eating chia seeds can reduce levels of these inflammatory markers in the blood. One such study measured changes in a marker called hs-CRP while subjects consumed thirty-seven grams of chia every day. The study found the subjects' hs-CRP levels went down by a whopping forty percent, on average, over the course of three months.