Certain Foods Said to Help Lower Bad Cholesterol Better than a Low-Saturated Fat Diet

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Adding specific cholesterol-lowering foods, such as nuts, to your diet can

lower your cholesterol more than a low-fat diet alone can, new research

suggests.

Foods with plant sterols also have known cholesterol-reducing properties,

and combined with a lower fat diet, they lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol by

more than 13 percent. A low-fat diet alone produced only a 3 percent

reduction in LDL, according to the study.

Dr. J.A. , the Canada Research Chair in Nutrition, Metabolism

and Vascular Biology at the University of Toronto stated that, " Giving

people a diet enriched with food components that the FDA has already allowed

health claims to be made for, based on their cholesterol-lowering ability,

lowered their LDL cholesterol between 13 and 14 percent. "

added that these people were already " diet-interested " and tended to

have better-than-average diets. " The extra effort of choosing the right

foods had a very good effect, " he noted.

High levels of LDL cholesterol are a concern because this type of

cholesterol can build up on artery walls, increasing the risk of heart

disease and stroke, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute (NHLBI). Ideal levels of LDL cholesterol are under 100 milligrams

per deciliter (mg/dL), according to the NHLBI. Levels between 100 and 129

mg/dL are considered near optimal.

Changes in diet, such as eating fewer foods that contain animal fat or more

foods high in fiber, can lower cholesterol levels, though these reductions

may be modest. Certain foods, however, are more likely to reduce

cholesterol. According to the study, these include: foods containing

substances called plant sterols such as enhanced margarines; foods with

significant amounts of viscous fiber such as oats and barley; soy protein

found in soy milk, tofu and soy meat substitutes; and nuts such as tree nuts

and peanuts.

Short-term studies have suggested that combining a low-fat, high-fiber diet

with these specific cholesterol-lowering foods might lower cholesterol

levels as effectively as cholesterol-lowering medications. However,

long-term studies into the effects of this dietary combination haven't been

done.

To see what effect this dietary combination would have in the long-term, the

researchers recruited 351 people in their 50s from across Canada. The study

volunteers were randomly placed into one of three groups: a control group

that was given advice on a low-fat, high-fiber diet (103 people); the

routine dietary portfolio that included the healthy diet advice, plus advice

on incorporating cholesterol-lowering foods into the diet (124 people); and

the intensive dietary portfolio group that was given the same advice as the

routine dietary portfolio group, but received an additional five study

visits during a 6-month period (124 people).

LDL cholesterol went down 3 percent for the control group, according to the

study. The routine dietary portfolio group dropped their LDL levels by 13.1

percent, while the intensive group experienced a 13.8 percent drop in LDL

cholesterol.

And, said that the people who did best of all were those who took

meat out of their diet. " Those who went toward a more plant-based diet did

best, " he noted.

Dr. Eckel, past president of the American Heart Association (AHA) and

a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado stated that, " When

added to an existing heart-healthy diet, cholesterol-lowering foods appear

to have an added benefit. "

Eckel said he believed that foods containing viscous fiber probably have the

most impact on cholesterol levels, while soy protein has minimal or no

effect. In addition, a healthy diet restricts saturated fats and trans fats.

They concluded that " a meaningful 13% LDL reduction can be obtained after

only two clinic visits of approximately 60- and 40-minute sessions. "

*JAMA Aug. 24, 2011*

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