The Cure for High Cholesterol -- Hint It is NOT a Drug
February 26 2005
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Statin drugs are not the only way to lower your cholesterol. Recently researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in fiber and vegetables works just as well at controlling your increased cholesterol levels.
This "portfolio" diet particularly consists of:
- Almonds
- Cereal fiber
- Plant sterols (tree-based compounds used in cholesterol-lowering margarines and salad dressing)
The research team tested the "portfolio" diet on more than 30 overweight men and women, comparing it with a low-fat diet and with a normal diet plus a generic statin drug (lovastatin).
Volunteers followed each diet for one month, with a break in between each treatment cycle. It was discovered that the low-fat diet lowered LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, by 8.5 percent, while statins lowered LDL by 33 percent and the "portfolio" diet lowered LDL by nearly 30 percent.
A quarter of the volunteers experienced their lowest LDL levels from being on the "portfolio" diet.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition February 2005;81(2):380-387