Going Vegetarian Lowers LDL, Blood Sugar and Weight in People at High Heart Risk

Six months on a vegetarian diet lowers LDL cholesterol, blood sugar and body weight in people with or at high risk of heart disease, on top of standard treatment, a meta-analysis of 20 trials has found.

Researchers at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre pooled 20 randomised trials with 1,878 participants, including people with heart disease, type 2 diabetes or several heart risk factors. Over an average of about six months, vegetarian diets lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL, HbA1c (long-term blood sugar) by 0.24 percentage points and weight by 3.4kg. There was no significant change in blood pressure, and the evidence for LDL and HbA1c was rated moderate. The study is published in JAMA Network Open.

The authors write in the full paper:

In population-stratified analysis, the greatest reduction in LDL-C was observed in individuals at high risk of CVD.

They add that vegetarian diets were most effective for blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.

For anyone on statins or diabetes medication, more plants on the plate looks like a helpful partner to treatment.

It comes two months after a meta-analysis of 30 trials found vegetarian and vegan diets cut cholesterol and apoB, and confirms an earlier review showing vegetarian diets lower blood sugar, cholesterol and weight in people with diabetes.

Plants make good medicine!