The Unexpected Fruit That Can Help Lower Your High Cholesterol – Health Digest

Appearing purple or green in color, these sweet fruits contain a fair amount of fiber. In one medium-sized raw fig, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that you’ll find 1.45 grams of fiber. In 1 cup of dried figs, this number jumps to 15.7 grams (via USDA). However, dried figs also come with a lot more calories and sugar than raw figs so they are best consumed in moderation.

It’s the soluble fiber content in figs that may benefit our cholesterol. According to 2019 research published in the scientific journal Nutrients, consumption of soluble fiber has been linked with reductions in LDL cholesterol. The reason being is that soluble fiber cannot be digested by the body. Instead, it absorbs cholesterol — subsequently reducing the amount of cholesterol being absorbed by the liver — and is then expelled from the body as waste.