Good for Cardiovascular Health
Kale can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a naturally produced sterol in the body that helps to maintain normal body function. It plays many critical roles in the body, including the production of bile acids. Bile acids help in the digestion of fat. Cholesterol is synthesized in the liver. This is also where it gets converted into bile acids that are released into the digestive tract whenever you consume high-fat foods. Once the fats have been digested, the bile acids are reabsorbed into the bloodstream for reuse. Kale contains bile acid sequestrants whose primary function is to prevent the reabsorption of bile acids into the blood. This process helps reduce cholesterol levels [6] in the body and improve heart health. Although cholesterol is often demonized, not cholesterol is bad. There are “good” cholesterols (HDL or high density cholesterol) and “bad” cholesterols (LDL or low density cholesterol). Good cholesterol is vital for heart health and can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Research has shown [7] that drinking kale juice daily for 12 weeks can increase good cholesterol by 27 percent and reduce bad cholesterol by 10 percent. Another study showed that steaming kale can seriously improve the bile acid sequestering effect of the vegetable. Steamed kale is almost half as potent as cholestyramine, a drug used to lower cholesterol levels.