104 | Can Vegan and Plant-Based Diets Lower Cholesterol and LDL Lipid Levels?

Are you really wanting to improve your heart health, but feel lost on what to do? All you know is that you’ve been warned by your doctor to ‘change your diet’. But which one and how? There seem to be so many different ones out there, that it’s confusing and overwhelming. So can a vegan diet or a plant-based one really help drop blood lipids, lower your risk of a heart attack and give you more time with loved ones?

 

Let’s find out on today’s podcast. In this episode, we’ll see how effective a vegan or whole food plant-based diet can be and I’ll also share the experience of some from my Community. So if you’re ready to build better heart health naturally, meet me inside this episode!

 

Related Episodes:

Ep. 90 | Her Cholesterol & Triglycerides Drop Within 3 Weeks & Husband’s Diabetes Improves – Interview with Susan [Part 1]: https://www.plantnourished.com/blog/interview-with-susan-part-one

 

Ep. 91 | Weight Loss and Tips for Staying Plant-Based With a Busy Life - Interview With Susan [Part 2]: https://www.plantnourished.com/blog/91-interview-with-susan-part-two]

 

 

Contact -> [e-mail]

Learn -> www.plantnourished.com

Join -> Plant-Powered Life Transformation Course: www.plantnourished.com/ppltcourse

Connect in the Facebook Community -> www.bit.ly/pbdietsuccess

Apply -> Free Rapid Health Transformation Call: https://bit.ly/plantnourished

Free Resource -> Quick Start Grocery Guide for Plant-Based Essentials: www.plantnourished.com/groceryguide

 

 

Have a question about plant-based diets that you would like answered on the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast? Send it by email ([e-mail]) or submit it by a voice message here: www.speakpipe.com/plantnourished

 

 

[Plantbased Diet, Plant Based Eating, Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Heart Health, Cardiovascular Health, Heart Attacks, Strokes, How to Eat for Health]

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Are you really wanting to improve yourheart health but feel lost on what to do?
All you've been told by the doctor is tochange your diet, but which one and how?
There seem to be so manydifferent ways of eating nowadays.
So can a vegan diet or a plant basedone really help drop blood lipids,

(00:21):
lower your risk of a heart attack, andgive you more time with loved ones?
Let's find out on today's podcast.
In this episode, we'll see how effectivea vegan or whole food plant-based diet
can be, and I'll share the experienceof some from my community with you too.
So grab a hot cup of tea or a greensmoothie and join me on the inside.

(00:47):
Welcome to the Plant BasedEating Made Easy Podcast.
I'm your host, Anna Tseng, plant-basedRegistered Dietitian and Transition Coach.
Hi Friend, do you want to regain yourhealth with plant-based eating but feel
overwhelmed and lost about how to do it?
Do you feel it'll be hard to changeyour meat-heavy diet and impossible

(01:07):
with working, running the home,or chasing after the grandkids?
If so, you're in the right place.
Here you'll find simple strategies,clear nutrition guidance and
practical tips to help you thriveplant-powered with more energy.
So, if you're ready to ditchthe guesswork and transform
your health the stress-free way.
Cozy up now with a hot cup of tea orlisten while you walk and let me show

(01:31):
you how doable plant-based eating can be.
Let's do this!
Hi Friend, are you tired oftaking meds, meds, and more meds?
If you're already dealing with multiplehealth conditions like hormone issues,
diabetes, and high blood pressure, gettinganother diagnosis and more prescription

(01:53):
pills can be the last thing you want.
Yet now your doctor is warning youabout your high cholesterol levels and
wanting to put you on statin drugs.
That feels pretty depressingand defeating, doesn't it?
Even though I don't currently havehypertension or heart issues, I have had
gestational diabetes and also know whatit's like to take multiple meds daily.

(02:17):
In fact, at one point in my life,I was taking 7 pills a day just to
manage one specific skin condition.
It felt like meds ruled my life then,and that I needed to keep my medication
schedule front of mind so I wouldn'tforget to take them, or I would have to
deal with a flare up over my whole body.

(02:38):
So Friend, if you're feeling that sameconstant sense of worry and anxiousness
over your health, and that you're undera heavy health burden, I want to help.
Reach out to me [e-mail], or see
the contact options in the show notes.
Let's get you on the road tobetter health, less meds, and

(02:59):
more time with loved ones.
Now let's talk specifically aboutlipid levels and plant-based eating.
In preparing this episode, I wasreminded of a previous podcast
guest I interviewed, Susan.
Susan had been dealing with borderlinehigh cholesterol for most of her life.

(03:20):
So much so that she thoughtit was just in her genes.
But it got to a point where hercholesterol levels continued to rise
and her triglyceride levels wentoff the charts, even though she was
eating a pretty healthy regular diet.
Her doctor got alarmed as well and evencalled her a 'walking heart attack'
and suggested she start statin meds.

(03:42):
You can imagine the stressand worry on her mind.
Maybe that's the same situationyou're in and the reason you're
now exploring plant-based eating.
You're wondering, can it reallylower total cholesterol and LDL
cholesterol levels naturally?
To answer this question, let's lookfirst at a recent study published

(04:03):
in the European Heart Journal.
This 2023 study was a meta-analysisand systematic review conducted
by Caroline Koch and colleagues.
These researchers wanted to gaugethe effect of vegetarian and vegan
diets on blood lipids of totalcholesterol, low density lipoprotein

(04:23):
cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol,triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B.
After screening 369 relevant studiespublished between 1980 and October
2022, 30 randomized controlled trialswere selected for the formal analysis.
This is significant because randomizedcontrol trials, or RCTs, are considered

(04:48):
one of the more rigorous study designs,since it often calls for subjects
in a study to be randomly assignedto either an intervention group or
a control group to minimize bias.
So what were the results?
Although no significant changeswere seen for triglyceride levels
from the meta-analysis between thoseon an omnivorous diet and those on

(05:11):
vegetarian and vegan diets, there werenoticeable differences observed for
the other study parameters of interest.
The meta-analysis showed thatparticipants in these studies
following a vegan or vegetarian dietdid have lower total cholesterol,
LDL cholesterol and apolipoproteinB levels than the participants

(05:33):
following a regular omnivorous diet.
For example, the mean differencein total cholesterol between
the two groups was negative 0.
34 millimoles per liter or negative13.1 milligrams per deciliter, and the
mean difference in LDL cholesterol wasnegative 0.30 millimoles per liter, or

(05:56):
negative 11.6 milligrams per deciliter.
That's quite a difference.
In the study publication, the researcherswrote that vegetarian and vegan
diets were associated with reducedconcentrations of total cholesterol.
low density lipoprotein cholesteroland apolipoprotein B, effects that

(06:19):
were consistent across various studyand participant characteristics.
They also stated that "our findingsillustrate that lipid profiles improve
when following a plant-based diet."I think that's encouraging to know
that this meta-analysis of randomizedcontrol trials is showing that those
on a vegan or vegetarian diet canexpect to enjoy lower lipid levels.

(06:43):
Does this pan out in real life, though?
It would appear to be so in themajority of cases I've seen.
In my interview guest, Susan'sexample, her total cholesterol levels
went from 302 to 222 within just 3weeks of being on a plant-based diet.
And her triglycerides alsodropped drastically from being

(07:05):
off the charts to now being low.
If you would like to hear more ofSusan's story and the other remarkable
changes she's had, listen to episodes90 and 91 on this podcast, which
were aired earlier this spring.
I will also link these episodesfor you in the show notes.
Recently, I also heard from aPlant-Powered Life Transformation

(07:28):
Course student of mine.
She sent me a message to share withme that her total cholesterol level,
which was previously at 225, has sincedropped to 154, due to, in her words
" plant-based in eating and drinking thecorrect foods." I knew she had been
struggling with high cholesterol fora long time, so I was ecstatic to hear

(07:50):
about this positive change in her health.
So today we looked at the question,can vegan and plant-based diets lower
cholesterol and LDL lipid levels?
From the results of a recentmeta-analysis and systematic review
published on randomized controlledtrials, this does appear to be the case.
I also shared a few real-lifeexamples of positive changes

(08:14):
in lipid levels from within mycommunity, of those who have moved
to plant-based eating and saw naturalimprovements in their blood lipids.
I want the same for you, my friend.
Would you consider givingplant-based eating a try if
you haven't started it yet?
After all, what have you got to lose?

(08:35):
At the least, treat it as an experimenton your body for 90 days and see what
the changes could be health-wise for you.
I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
Remember, my friend, I'm cheering you on.
Thank you for listening to the PlantBased Eating Made Easy Podcast.

(08:55):
If this podcast has helped you,please rate and leave a written
review on the Apple PodcastApp or iTunes to let me know.
Nothing will lift me up more than toread your review and see how this podcast
has made a difference in your life.
I also pick reviews to read on this showso your review could be one of them.
Come connect with me in my freeFacebook community group, Beginners

(09:18):
for Plant Based Diet Success.
Just go to bit.ly/pbdietsuccess.
That's B I T dot L Y forwardslash pb diet success.
You can also subscribe and followthis podcast to get notified
when a new episode goes live.
Signing off now, this is Anna, andI wish you the best health always.