Plant-based diets can lower cholesterol and fat in the blood - reducing blocked arteries and lowering the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases, reveals a new study. Vegetarians and vegans saw their risk of cardiovascular disease drop by seven per cent over five years compared to ominivores.
But it was only a third of the effect of taking statins, though researchers said a plant-based diet combined with statins would boost the effect further. Researchers examined 30 randomised trials with just over 2,300 participants, published between 1982 and 2022.
The trials revealed how vegetarian and vegan diets effect all types of cholesterol compared to omnivorous diets, where people continue to eat meat and dairy. The first two types are low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), which is known as the bad cholesterol, and triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood.
