[elawler24]

High cholesterol and heart attacks are common in my family. This year, after my dad had intensive open heart surgery, my doctor recommended trying a strict plant-based diet for 90 days with a blood test before and after. She had been studying medical journals on the topic primarily from Canada (she said it’s easier to find medical research not funded by corporations there).

Before the doing the plant-based diet, I had such high cholesterol that I would have needed to start taking statins before age 35. After the 90 day diet experiment, my cholesterol dropped by 130 mg/dL. I no longer need to be put on medication, and am within a healthy range.

[Buttons840]

I got a high LDL reading of about 200 (this is like top 3% percentile, if I remember correctly). I panicked and switched to an extremely low fat vegan diet, and I couldn't handle waiting so I paid to have my LDL tested again. My LDL had dropped to 130 after one week on that diet.

For me, at least, saturated fat is the most important nutrient I can monitor and avoid. Low saturated fat, high fiber is the diet for me.

I wasn't able to keep the vegan diet, but it was worth trying for a time because I learned some new recipes and new habits.

[EasyMark]

This past year I switched to a whole foods diet. I eat eggs, whole milk & cheese, veggies, fruit, white meat, saturated & unsaturated natural oils (nothing manufactured like margarine or anything hydrogenated), root veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips), beans/lentils (I'm not afraid of soy based things) grain based breads including whole wheat, whole wheat pasta. I tend to avoid red meat (pork and beef). I quit fast food and anything I suspected of a manufactured element. I was bordering on high cholesterol and pre diabetes. Since then I've dropped 35 lbs and everything is back in the normal range. I don't think you have to go vegan, just get away from all the over salted, over manufactured, sugar "enhanced" garbage. We're omnivores, I think we have the machinery to process normal foods. I admit this worked for me and may not work for everyone. The only "vice" I allow myself is a couple of diet cokes a day, but most days it's just coffee. I only will have a drink or two socially on the weekend and tend to stick to wine or clear spirits and lime/lemon.

[christophilus]

I had a similar experience, except with blood pressure. After switching to a plant based diet, it’s the lowest it’s been in my adult life.

[drewg123]

For me it was both.. I had pretty bad BP and high enough cholesterol to that my doctor wanted me on a statin. Now my BP is normal, and my cholesterol is in the "low risk" range. My doctor said she'd never seen such an improvement before.

In my case it was not the suggestion of a doctor, but rather dating and now marrying a vegan. I converted to a plant based diet starting with eating plant based just with her, and then I became fully vegan for health reasons.

[apwell23]

were the results from cutting out carbs in plant based diet. could you have achieved same thing with animal based low carb diet?

[christophilus]

In my case, I didn’t cut carbs. Quite the opposite. The diet could be described as high carb.

[apwell23]

thats really interesting. did your a1c numbers go down too?

[542458]

For what it’s worth, the linked article does not dispute that diet can affect blood cholesterol, but does argue that it doesn’t necessarily equal long term health.

> In other words, although diet could successfully lower blood cholesterol, this reduction did not appear to translate into long-term cardiovascular gains.

That said, as other commenters here have highlighted the author of the study has a spotty track record so, uh, big grain of salt.

[readthenotes1]

A family member went on the ornish-like diet + atorvastatin for 7 years* after open heart surgery for block in the left main.

Hen tested (via ultra fast CT scan) the blood flow after the experiment -- there was no change.

It may sound depressing, but it's actually very good for what is normally a progressive disease.

The experimenter is currently now doing another 7 year experiment, eating a somewhat healthier than normal diet + statins.

After getting off the ornish diet, there was hardly any change in total cholesterol.

*The diet was ornish-like because it was hard to get anything to eat when going out. The experimentar ate salmon if there was nothing better.

[Aurornis]

> Hen tested (via ultra fast CT scan) the blood flow after the experiment -- there was no change. > It may sound depressing

I think this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of enforcing low cholesterol.

The goal would be to prevent further damage and restriction. By all accounts that test is a positive result.

Atherosclerosis is correlated with lifetime exposure to high cholesterol. Once you reach the point of having open heart surgery for severe problems, the goal is to slow further progression as much as possible.

Hoping to reverse a lifetime of accumulated exposure to high cholesterol with 7 years of slightly below average cholesterol just isn’t going to happen. Stopping further progression is great though!

[emptiestplace]

Did you stop reading at the end of the part you quoted? Their very next words literally say this.

[hyuuu]

i didnt realize that the diet im doing right now has a name, ornish! Just to clarify, so this diet actually works in preventing further damage?

[readthenotes1]

The relative was also taking statins, so it is hard to say.

following the normal course of events leads to subsequent surgical interventions based on the people I've seen...

[jokethrowaway]

We have the lowest average cholesterol ever and cardiovascular diseases are on the rise, so does it really make a difference?

[Buttons840]

Life expectancy has increased, so maybe it does make a difference?

Truth is, it's complicated and neither your observation, nor mine, is enough to conclude anything.

[tomp]

what did you eliminate, i.e. what were you eating before? eggs, milk, cheese/yogurt (fermented diary), meat, processed meat?

[elawler24]

Before, I ate low sugar / carb and high on cheese, meat, whole milk, yogurt, and veggies (close to keto). Now I eat a lot of rice, beans, while grains, and veggies. I’m trying to figure out how to get enough protein though, that’s the trade off.

[nosbo]

There are so many great vegan protein powders these days. I'm not vegan but enjoy most of them. Soy goes down the best for me.

[geoka9]

Maybe try whey isolate?

[el_benhameen]

Not OP, but I recently discovered that I have moderately high lipoprotein-a levels and decided to try to reduce my LDL as a result. I cut most eggs, all butter, all full-fat milk, almost all cheese, and switched from whole to skim yogurt. My LDL dropped about 20% between the beginning of August and the middle of October.

[apwell23]

curious. Was there a change in your a1c after your experiment?