Study Shows Combining Key Ingredients of Vegetarian Diet Cuts Cholesterol ~~ Edith

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This may be very useful information. Edith

 

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Health Information from Natural Solutions Radio -- Study Shows Combining Key

Ingredients of Vegetarian Diet Cuts Cholesterol 12-04-2002

A diet combining a handful of known cholesterol-lowering plant components cuts

bad cholesterol by up to 30 percent, reports a new study conducted by

researchers at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital. The

reduction is similar to that achieved by some drug treatments for high

cholesterol, suggesting a possible drug-free alternative for combating the

condition.

 

ProHealthNetwork.com

 

A diet combining a handful of known cholesterol-lowering plant components cuts

bad cholesterol by up to 30 percent, reports a new study conducted by

researchers at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital. The

reduction is similar to that achieved by some drug treatments for high

cholesterol, suggesting a possible drug-free alternative for combating the

condition.

 

The study, published in the December 2002 issue of Metabolism, is the first to

examine the effects of these dietary components in combination. Scientists have

known for many years that, individually, soy proteins, nuts, viscous fibers such

as those found in oats and barley, and plant sterols (a substance found in

vegetable oils and also in leafy green and non-starch vegetables) have the

ability to reduce blood cholesterol levels by approximately four to seven

percent. However, the study found that mixing these components together in a

" combination diet " reduced levels of LDL cholesterol - the so-called " bad "

cholesterol believed to clog coronary arteries - by a dramatic 29 per cent. The

finding suggests this combination diet may be as effective as the first

generation of a class of drugs known as statins, which have been the standard

drug therapy for high cholesterol for the last 15 years.

 

" This opens up the possibility that diet can be used much more widely to lower

blood cholesterol and possibly spare some individuals from having to take

drugs, " said lead author David Jenkins, a professor in University of Toronto's

Department of Nutritional Sciences and director of the Clinical Nutrition and

Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital.

 

Jenkins and colleagues measured the cholesterol levels of 13 people who went on

the combination diet for a month. The diet followed a seven-day plan using foods

available in supermarkets and health food stores, including vegetables such as

broccoli, carrots, red peppers, tomato, onions, cauliflower, okra and eggplant;

oats, barley and psyllium; vegetable-based margarine; soy protein from products

such as soy milk and soy sausages, cold cuts and burgers; and almonds, among

other ingredients. A typical day on the diet might include a breakfast of soy

milk, oat bran cereal with chopped fruit and almonds, oatmeal bread, margarine

and jam; a lunch of soy cold cuts, oat bran bread, bean soup and fruit; and a

stir-fry dinner with vegetables, tofu, fruit and almonds.

 

Jenkins cautioned that more research is needed before the combination diet will

be able to give relief from the use of statins. " The take home message right now

is that there is hope for a drug-free treatment for some people with high

cholesterol. For us, the main feature now is to move this forward into

longer-term studies, " he said.

 

Jenkins noted, for example, that the researchers also plan to examine the

effects of the combination diet after a six-month period, including a look at

how well people are able to incorporate the diet into their daily lives.

 

" We see this as being a work in progress and we shall look at new plant

components to add to the diet, " said Jenkins. He added that although the

combination diet is vegetarian, people who follow the principles of the diet but

also take animal proteins may also see a dip in their cholesterol levels.

However, he explained, " The closer they follow this diet, the closer they're

going to get to a 30 per cent reduction in blood cholesterol levels. "