Although statins are effective for high cholesterol, they’re not for everyone. Some people have health issues that prevent them from taking statins, and others would simply rather manage their cholesterol without the use of drugs. In addition, statins can be a costly approach. For many people, a vegetarian diet may be the solution.

A vegetarian diet lowers LDL cholesterol levels

A study published in the July 23, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a vegetarian diet was equally effective at lowering the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol as statin drugs. Statins are the prescription drugs of choice taken by millions of Americans to lower their cholesterol levels. The vegetarian diet and the statin drugs, which were also combined with a low saturated fat diet, resulted in LDL cholesterol reductions of about 30%. This large decrease in cholesterol is associated with about a 25% reduction in heart disease risk.

However, the vegetarian diet eaten in this study was not your average vegetarian diet, it was turbocharged. In fact, it was made up of several foods that by themselves have previously been shown to have cholesterol-lowering effects. For example, the diet included foods rich in soluble fiber such as oats, barley, beans, and psyllium husk; foods rich in soy protein like meat analogs (such as veggie burgers) and soy milk; foods enriched with plant sterols (like some margarines); and a moderate supply of whole almonds, which are rich in monounsaturated fat.

An important discovery in this study was that both the vegetarian diet and the statin approach reduced C-reactive protein (CRP) levels significantly more than the control group, which followed a very low saturated fat diet. CRP is a newly emerging risk factor for heart disease that is thought to be a stronger predictor of heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol levels.

This study also strengthens the argument that when it comes to fat, it’s not just about quantity but more about quality. A common myth about vegetarian diets is that they are low in fat. This isn’t always the case; in this study the vegetarian group members were getting about 30% of their calories from fat.

However, this study is not without limitations. The participants had the luxury of having nearly all their food prepackaged and given to them on a weekly basis. Where do we sign up for this? Only time and more studies will tell if the same results will apply to people having to prepare the meals on their own.

Although a vegetarian diet of this nature might be a tough pill to swallow, especially if you’re switching from a standard American diet, it certainly provides hope for those who wish to take control of their cholesterol without relying on drugs.