A proper low-fat diet, including nuts, plants, and high-fiber grains, can lower bad cholesterol and could eliminate the need for cholesterol-lowering medication. With high cholesterol a growing problem in the U.S.—1 in 4 adults over 45 are prescribed medication for the condition—solving the problem through a proper diet could control costs, as well as lead to a healthier lifestyle.
A recent study out of Canada found that “bad” cholesterol was lowered significantly in people who centered their diet on nuts, plants, and high-fiber grains. In addition, eating this type of diet lowered cholesterol even more than did a vegetarian, low-saturated-fat diet.
During the analysis, the drop in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was so significant that researchers discovered that dietary changes alone could be a viable alternative to cholesterol-lowering statin medications for many people who suffer from high cholesterol.
According to study author Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto, “There’s no question that statins have made a major difference in terms of cardiovascular disease control,” However, at least for now, he pointed out, “we can only get so far with statins.”
Jenkins and his colleagues randomly assigned 351 Canadians having high cholesterol into three separate groups to determine how much of an impact that following a diet targeting a decrease in cholesterol could have on LDL numbers without the use of statins. For a period of six months, one group received nutrition counseling for adhering to a low-saturated-fat diet, while dietitians assisted participants in the other two groups with getting more cholesterol-lowering foods such as oats, peas, tofu, nuts, beans and soy milk into their vegetarian diets.
At the end of the six-month study period, Jenkins’s team found that people following the low-saturated-fat diet had a drop in LDL cholesterol of 8 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), on average, compared to 24 mg/dL and 26 mg/dL decreases among participants on the cholesterol-lowering vegetarian diets.
The dramatic drop in cholesterol had experts not involved in the study were impressed by the research. In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Yunsheng Ma, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, stated, “A lot of people rely on the medication, but diet is really powerful actually…. People ignore that. They think if they’re on statins, they can do anything they want. They can eat the high-fat foods because the statins are going to take care of that.”
A proper low-fat diet, including nuts, plants, and high-fiber grains, can lower bad cholesterol and could eliminate the need for cholesterol-lowering medication. With high cholesterol a growing problem in the U.S.—1 in 4 adults over 45 are prescribed medication for the condition—solving the problem through a proper diet could control costs, as well as lead to a healthier lifestyle.
A recent study out of Canada found that “bad” cholesterol was lowered significantly in people who centered their diet on nuts, plants, and high-fiber grains. In addition, eating this type of diet lowered cholesterol even more than did a vegetarian, low-saturated-fat diet.
During the analysis, the drop in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was so significant that researchers discovered that dietary changes alone could be a viable alternative to cholesterol-lowering statin medications for many people who suffer from high cholesterol.
According to study author Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto, “There’s no question that statins have made a major difference in terms of cardiovascular disease control,” However, at least for now, he pointed out, “we can only get so far with statins.”
Jenkins and his colleagues randomly assigned 351 Canadians having high cholesterol into three separate groups to determine how much of an impact that following a diet targeting a decrease in cholesterol could have on LDL numbers without the use of statins. For a period of six months, one group received nutrition counseling for adhering to a low-saturated-fat diet, while dietitians assisted participants in the other two groups with getting more cholesterol-lowering foods such as oats, peas, tofu, nuts, beans and soy milk into their vegetarian diets.
At the end of the six-month study period, Jenkins’s team found that people following the low-saturated-fat diet had a drop in LDL cholesterol of 8 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), on average, compared to 24 mg/dL and 26 mg/dL decreases among participants on the cholesterol-lowering vegetarian diets.
The dramatic drop in cholesterol had experts not involved in the study were impressed by the research. In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Yunsheng Ma, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, stated, “A lot of people rely on the medication, but diet is really powerful actually…. People ignore that. They think if they’re on statins, they can do anything they want. They can eat the high-fat foods because the statins are going to take care of that.”
Soure: HealthNews
