How fast can a vegan diet lower cholesterol levels?
All foods, even plant foods that contain high cholesterol content, are effective in lowering cholesterol levels. The method of weight control is the most efficient method in lowering cholesterol.
What about foods which contain cholesterol-lowering compounds?
To reduce cholesterol levels, follow a vegan diet. All foods in which cholesterol-lowering compounds are contained, can lower cholesterol levels.
The following foods are beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels:
- Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish and flaxseed oil)
- Foods rich in fibre (whole grains, oats, brown rice, quinoa)
- Vitamin B6
- Foods rich in B vitamins
- Foods rich in potassium
- Foods containing lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E
- Potassium Citrate
- Foods rich in vitamin K, calcium and magnesium
- Foods containing vitamin C
- Foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin D, beta carotene, polyphenols, catechins and magnesium
If you have a history of heart disease and are suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes, then a vegan diet could be a wise decision.
How can a vegan diet lower cholesterol levels?
Let us discuss some simple ways in which a vegan diet could lower cholesterol levels.
Vitamin D and calcium can lower cholesterol levels
Foods rich in vitamin D and calcium are important in lowering cholesterol levels. The following foods are rich in both vitamin D and calcium:
- Fatty fishes (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines)
- Fish oils (made from flaxseed oil, krill, walnuts, chia seeds, soybean oil, cashews)
- Fruit (large slices of grapes, apricots, plums, prunes, oranges, pineapples, figs, blueberries, avocado, mango, blackberries, melons)
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, spinach)
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Black olives
- Tomato paste
- Dark leafy green vegetables (collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy, broccoli, swiss chard, Swiss chard, mustard greens)
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Lima beans
- Broccoli
- Potatoes
In the USA, the percent of people who follow a vegan diet is quite low. The percentage of people who have low cholesterol levels is higher in developed countries.
Those with the highest percentage of people following a vegan diet include:
- Japan (67.1%)
- Austria (63.3%)
- Finland (58.8%)
Finland is the country with the highest number of vegan food stores.
With a current population of 5.27%, Japan has the highest number of vegans in the world. Japan is the second country in Asia, after China.
China is also one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world. The Chinese population consists of a mix of people from China, Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries.Due to a preference of a vegan diet among the Japanese population, Japan is the second vegan-friendly country in Asia.
In Germany, people who follow a vegan diet are more educated. Many of the individuals working in the manufacturing sector follow a vegan diet.In the UK, research published in 2013 suggests that vegans are less likely to suffer from high cholesterol levels.
This study in the UK indicates that those who follow a vegan diet have a lower cholesterol level than those who do not follow a vegan diet.Research suggests that the higher income level of vegans in England and Wales may help to lower cholesterol levels.
There are many varieties of vegan cheese available in the UK, but most of the vegan cheese brands are produced in Europe and available in specific grocery stores.Conversely, the availability of vegan products varies among the European countries. The European countries include:
- France
- Germany
- Sweden
- Norway
- Austria
- Spain
The study in the UK suggests that vegetarianism and veganism have a positive effect on cholesterol levels. In some European countries, a person who does not follow a vegan diet is at an increased risk of suffering from heart disease.
What is vegan cholesterol?
Although not all vegans follow a strict vegan diet, many people who follow a strict vegan diet consume whole foods in their diet.
These foods are vegetarian, but not vegan. In the vegan diet, only certain foods are allowed. Most vegan foods do not contain any animal products.
The following foods have the potential to raise cholesterol levels in the body:
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Mayonnaise
- Aspartame (NutraSweet)
- The following foods are safe to consume by anyone:
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt)
- Seafood
- Citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, papaya, avocado, mango)
- Grapefruits
- Fruits other than oranges and grapefruits
- Full-fat dairy products
- Some nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts)
Can you still be vegan if you have cholesterol?
Although not all vegans follow a strict vegan diet, most follow a vegan diet. If you follow a strict vegan diet, you may still have some animal products in your diet.
A vegan diet can be beneficial for your heart health. Therefore, having a cholesterol level of 200 mg/dl is normal.
One of the studies under review found that a vegan diet can slash cholesterol by 25% in a year.
Researchers explained that this was not an incredibly long period of dieting, but that it was equivalent to eating a low-carbohydrate diet for a year.
This means that a vegan diet can lower cholesterol quickly enough to change a person’s dietary patterns, and turn them vegan – even if the dieter eats some non-vegan foods throughout their diet.
The research
The authors said that there was “evidence to suggest that some of the natural bioactives found in plants may produce specific mechanisms to limit cholesterol,” including the element selenium.
Seperately, they added that the cholesterol-lowering effect was likely to be due to the plant compounds, rather than the vegan diet itself.
However, the authors also concluded that they could not rule out the vegan diet’s role in the cholesterol-lowering effect, adding: “Further investigations are required to elucidate this link and determine if a vegan diet can lower cholesterol in the long term.”
What’s the benefit?
Vegan diets are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, plant sterols and antioxidants.
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, fish, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts, are key components in animal-based foods.However, omega-3s are converted to omegas-6 (inflammation-fighting) and omegas-9 (anti-inflammatory), when in the liver.Plant sterols can also improve cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels, while antioxidants can lower cholesterol.Some types of plants contain cholesterol-lowering substances. But the benefits are outweighed by the plant-based foods that are also packed full of these nutrients.
Another study, published in 2014, examined how fast vegan diets could improve cholesterol levels.
It said that, on average, a vegan diet lowered cholesterol by around 25% in a year, with no need for special diets or other changes.This meant that a vegan diet – which typically contains meat, fish, dairy and eggs – would likely lower cholesterol naturally, within a year.
Yet, the authors said that the vegan diet would not necessarily be less stressful to a person’s body.
They added: “Our dieting study showed that there are other nutritional factors that can help modify cholesterol levels.”Just because a vegan diet is relatively easy to follow does not mean it offers all of the health benefits associated with a healthy diet, and there are no strict rules to follow.
How can vegan diets lower cholesterol?
As noted, the study of vegan diets showed that cholesterol levels dropped naturally in people, even after they ate a non-vegan diet.
But this could be down to the vegan diet being relatively simple and the human body being able to respond quickly to changes in diet.
Experts said that vegan diets could offer nutritional benefits, particularly to those who have high cholesterol.
Researchers said that a vegan diet may help reduce blood cholesterol and help control diabetes and heart disease.
Furthermore, a vegan diet can also help to manage weight, which, in turn, lowers cholesterol and blood glucose.
Some research also suggests that a vegan diet can improve cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol and diabetes.
Still, vegan diets can offer no direct benefit to people with healthy cholesterol levels, and no reduction in levels of blood glucose, which is why some experts say that a vegan diet may be harmful for patients with diabetes.
The research
The overall research assessed 38 studies with 466,337 people. Some of the studies did not follow diet protocols, while some participants ate vegan diets from the beginning, and others did so gradually.One study compared a vegan diet to a calorie-restricted vegetarian diet, while another study compared a vegan diet to a low-fat vegetarian diet.A number of the studies compared a vegan diet to an omnivorous diet.
In some of the studies, diets were restricted to certain plant foods. Others relied on specific plant foods.Overall, the researchers found that an omnivorous diet had a significantly lower risk of disease than either a vegan diet or a calorie-restricted vegetarian diet.The research also suggested that while vegan diets reduced cholesterol in both the short and long term, vegan diets did not lower cholesterol at all in the long term.
However, vegan diets, like a vegan diet, might benefit patients with diabetes, as it appears that a vegan diet can improve cholesterol levels in people with diabetes.
