Diet Rich In Nuts, Soy May Help Reduce LDL Cholesterol

USA Today  (8/24, Hellmich) reports that while “nutrition experts have known for years that some foods, such as oatmeal, nuts and soy products, lower cholesterol,” but new research “shows that a diet with several of these foods can decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol significantly.”

The Wall Street Journal  (8/24, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that the study , published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides more proof that simply reducing dietary fat may not be the best way to boost one’s heart health.

The Los Angeles Times  (8/24, Healy) reports that for the “study tested a diet that contained a portfolio of cholesterol-fighting foods such as soy protein, nuts, ‘sticky’ fiber such as that found in oats and barley, and plant sterols.” The 345 participants, all of whom had high cholesterol, “each followed one of three diets: an ‘intensive portfolio’ diet, a ‘routine portfolio’ diet, or a high-fiber, low-saturated-fat diet rich in produce and whole grains.” Of “the 267 subjects who completed the trial, all three groups lost roughly an equal amount of weight,” but participants “on one of the portfolio diets – intensive or routine – saw their LDL cholesterol levels decline between 13.1% and 13.8% after six months,” compared to the 3% decline in LDL levels seen in those on the high-fiber, low-saturated-fat diet.