In view of the winter season and COVID-19 pandemic, health experts say that taking natural antioxidants may help keep the heart healthy along with other health benefits. According to them, people with underlying heart conditions are more prone to COVID-19. The cold winter months are not very kind to patients of heart diseases. In view of this, you can work harder to protect yourselves by improving immunity and heart health. Taking natural antioxidants like Gamma-oryzanol, a natural antioxidant found in rice bran, can go a long way in protecting your heart health.

Gamma oryzanol can bring down cholesterol levels

Most research shows that taking gamma oryzanol decreases total cholesterol, “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and blood fats called triglycerides in people with high cholesterol. Gamma-oryzanol, a mixture of antioxidant compounds in the bran’s oil fraction, is thought to play a role in reducing blood cholesterol levels, among other health-promoting benefits. As Gamma-oryzanol is found to be effective in controlling high cholesterol level in the body, it is registered in Japan and the US as a natural medicine to treat hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol levels).

It improves cardiovascular health

“Gamma-oryzanol is useful for controlling elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, supporting cardiovascular health along with controlling menopausal symptoms,” Dr. Swapna Chaturvedi, senior dietician from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, told IANS. It helps lower cholesterol because it helps decrease cholesterol absorption and increases cholesterol elimination. Along with this, it is also known to boost metabolic rate and may help with weight loss. According to Praveen Chandra, Head of Department, Interventional Cardiology, Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, gamma oryzanol also helps in preventing heart attack by preventing platelet aggregation, a system where platelets blood gets stuck together and form clots that block arteries.

Other precautions necessary too

The experts stressed that people with weak hearts should be particularly careful during the winter season. Though they should continue to exercise regularly, they should modify their timings, so as to avoid extreme weather. They must also reduce their intake of extra salt and water as there is no loss to sweating. With medications and lifestyle modification which include proper diet and exercise, heart patients can remain stable for a long period of time, they noted.

Sources of a few other natural antioxidants

Fruits and vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and some meats, poultry and fish are good sources of natural antioxidants. Here, we reveal a few antioxidants that you can get from different foods. Be sure to add these foods to your daily diet.

• Anthocyanins – eggplant, grapes and berries
• Beta-carotene – pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, carrots, spinach and parsley
• Catechins – red wine and tea
• Cryptoxanthins – red capsicum, pumpkin and mangoes
• Flavonoids – tea, green tea, citrus fruits, red wine, onion and apples
• Indoles – cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower
• Isoflavonoids – soybeans, tofu, lentils, peas and milk
• Lutein – green, leafy vegetables like spinach, and corn
• Lycopene – tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon
• Polyphenols – thyme and oregano
• Selenium – seafood, offal, lean meat and whole grains

 (With inputs from IANS)

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