By Jimmy Downs

Wednesday Oct 17, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A review article in Nutrition Research Reviews suggests that eating certain foods may help reduce serum concentrations of cholesterol, which is linked to heart disease.

J.I. Harland of HarlandHall Associates in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK reports that substantial evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that certain foods and food ingredients can significantly lower serum levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol).

Individual ingredients or components of certain foods including plant stanols and sterols, soya protein, β-glucans and tree nuts in a target dose can lower LDL cholesterol by 3 to 9 percent.

Dietary fats make a difference.  According to the review, improved dietary fat quality, achieved by replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, can reduce low density lipoprotein cholesterol and increase high density lipoprotein cholesterol and improve blood lipid profile.

In clinical trials intended to examine the efficacy of a cholesterol lowering diet when used for about one month, low density lipoprotein cholesterol was reduced by 22 to 30 percent whereas in community based studies that lasted for longer than six months, low density lipoprotein cholesterol was reduced by 15 percent.

On the other hand,  inclusion of MUFA into a cholesterol-lowering diet increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol in addition to reduced levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol.

The authors concluded "By careful food component selection, appropriate to the individual, the effect of including only two components in the diet with good compliance could be a sustainable 10 % reduction in LDL-cholesterol; this is sufficient to make a substantial impact on cholesterol management and reduce the need for pharmaceutical intervention."

Statins are very effective in lowering cholesterol, but they may cause side effects.  Alternative preventatives include red yeast rice, which is equally effective, but without any side or adverse effects.