High fiber diet helps cholesterol level: study
CBC News | Posted: July 23, 2003 7:55 PM | Last Updated: July 23, 2003
A vegetarian diet high in fibre and low in saturated fats can lower cholesterol levels as effectively as some drugs, according to a new Canadian study.
The study suggests some people should forgo medication in favour of the diet to control their cholesterol.
Researchers from the University of Toronto followed 46 people in the study. The participants averaged 59 years of age, all had high blood pressure and were overweight. They were split into three groups:
- one group followed a special diet, dubbed the Portfolio Diet, designed by the scientists
- others followed a diet low in saturated fats (beef, butter) and used the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin the last group ate a low-fat diet but didn't take the drug
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The diet is based on one created by Dr. David Jenkins, known for his Garden of Eden diet plan of berries and roots. This time, Jenkins' team decided to make the diet more varied and to test the results.
"This diet has got the right sort of mix of tolerability and effectiveness to suit a number of people," said Jenkins.
The team discovered:
- those on the Portfolio Diet saw a 28.6 per cent reduction in their LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels just after one month
- those on the low fat diet with the drug achieved a 30.9 per cent reduction over the same period
- those just eating a low fat diet saw an eight per cent reduction
LDL cholesterol is responsible for the fat layers that build up inside the walls of blood vessels causing hardening of the arteries and heart disease.
Researchers say there's little difference between the two groups and conclude that their diet has the same effect as the drug.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.