A doctor shared a specific diet that could help lower your cholesterol (Image: Getty)
A doctor has shared a diet that could lower your cholesterol as much as medication. According to the expert, eating these foods could be as effective as statins.
High cholesterol, medically termed hypercholesterolaemia, develops when excessive amounts of a fatty substance called cholesterol accumulate in the bloodstream. Without proper treatment, this can cause arterial blockages, potentially triggering life-threatening emergencies including heart attacks and strokes.
Various risk factors contribute to this condition, including lifestyle habits such as consuming fatty foods, not enough physical activity, being overweight, smoking, and drinking alcohol. Therefore, changing your diet is one way that is known to help reduce cholesterol levels.
In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, Doctor Karan Rajan shared the details of a specific diet that could do just this. Dr Rajan, who is better known online as Dr Raj, championed the “portfolio diet” for this reason.
He told his followers: “If you want to lower your cholesterol, there’s a diet that can reduce your LDL [low-density lipoprotein] cholesterol as much as a statin. The portfolio diet is a specific combination of foods that each independently lower LDL cholesterol, and when combined, they produce additive effects.”
He explained a bit more about this diet, which is made up of what are known as four “pillars” of foods. These are plant proteins, nuts, soluble fibre, and phytosterols.
Dr Raj said: “The four pillars are plant proteins – from soy, beans, and lentils. Nuts – approximately a handful daily.
“Soluble fibre – from oats, barley, and legumes.” Soluble fibre can also be found in fruit and vegetables such as apples, bananas, citrus fruits, berries, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.
He continued: “And phytosterols, plant compounds that physically compete with cholesterol for absorption in the gut.”
Phytosterols can be found in unrefined vegetable oils (like olive, sunflower, or corn oil), nuts, seeds (especially sesame and flaxseed), legumes, and whole grains. They are also in some fruits and vegetables like broccoli, peas, cauliflower, and citrus fruits.
Certain foods are also fortified with phytosterols such as phytosterol-enriched yoghurts, milk, and margarine.
Research
Dr Raj then referenced a scientific study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), that tested the effectiveness of the portfolio diet. He said: “A randomised control trial put all four components together and compared the portfolio diet to a low saturated fat control diet.
“The portfolio diet reduced LDL cholesterol by 28.6%. That was comparable to the static arm of the same study, which achieved 30.9% reduction.
“And there was a clear dose response relationship. The more closely participants followed the portfolio diet, the lower their cardiovascular disease risk.
“The dietary pattern was also associated with better blood lipid profiles and lower inflammatory markers, and that was seen across the dose response curve.” He added: “This also means you don’t have to be perfect.
“Partial adherence to that diet still produces meaningful benefits. Every component you add can move the needle.”
However, in reality, he acknowledged that people might still require medications to deal with high blood pressure. “Now, in the real world, how effective the portfolio diet will be will depend on your baseline genetic lipid metabolism as well as how well the diet is implemented,” Dr Raj said.
“For some people, dietary optimisation alone is not sufficient. That’s not because any one singular diet failed.
“That could be just because of your genetics. That’s also why we have statins and PCSK9 inhibitors for those who need them.
“Medications are excellent. But diet and medications are even better.”
What the NHS says
To help lower your cholesterol, the NHS says you should try to eat more:
- Oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- Olive oil, rapeseed oil and spreads made from these oils
- Brown rice, wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables
You should also try to eat less:
- Meat pies, sausages and fatty meat
- Butter, lard and ghee
- Cream and cheese
- Cakes and biscuits
- Food that contains coconut oil or palm oil
The health body also recommends exercising more, giving up smoking, and cutting back on alcohol. If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, you should speak to your GP.
