Washington: People who are counselled to eat a diet that combined cholesterol-lowering foods such as soy protein, nuts and plant sterols over 6 months have lower cholesterol levels than those on a low-saturated fat diet, according to a new study.
David J. A. Jenkins, M.D., of St. Michael`s Hospital and the University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a multi-centre trial to compare the two diets at 6-month follow-up.
The control diet emphasized high fibre and whole grains but lacked components of the portfolio diet, which emphasized dietary incorporation of plant sterols, soy protein, viscous fibres, and nuts.
The study included 351 participants with hyperlipidemia from 4 participating academic centres across Canada (Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver) randomized between June 2007 and February 2009.
Participants received dietary advice for 6 months on either the low-saturated fat therapeutic diet (control) or a routine or intensive dietary portfolio, for which counselling was delivered at different frequencies.
The researchers found that the group on the cholesterol lowering diet had a 13 per cent drop in their LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)) levels, while those who ate a diet low in saturated fats experienced a 3 per cent decrease.
The study was recently published in JAMA.
ANI
