If you've got high cholesterol, you know the diet advice: Go easy on foods high in saturated fat like red meat and cheese, and eat lots of fiber and whole grains.
The message still holds up, but researchers say it's time to tweak the message.
A new study finds there's extra benefit in adding plenty of soy, nuts and plant sterols.Plant sterols occur naturally in soybean oil, and are also found in butter substitutes like Take Control and Benecol.
The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today found that people with high cholesterol who followed diets rich in soy, nuts, and plant sterols, successfully reduced their bad cholesterol levels by an average of 14 percent over 6 months. This compares to people who followed a more standard cholesterol-lowering diet. They reduced their LDL by just 3 percent.
"It's been known for a long time that plant sterols block cholesterol absorption," saysDavid Jenkins of in the study ate about 2 teaspoons a day of Take Control.the University of Toronto, the lead author of the study. The participants in the study ate about 2 teaspoons a day of Take Control .
.
