Did your cholesterol go down when you went vegan?

[Erin Pavlina]

Everyone in my family has high cholesterol. I was assuming that when I went vegan it would go down quickly. Although the total number went down a little, I was disappointed that it didn't go to normal levels. I started at 293 and last time I checked I was at 253. But my HDLs went way up so maybe that helps.

What has been your experience with cholesterol and the vegan diet?

[willow]

I don't know for myself as I have never had this checked but my husbands did. It was borderline high prior to going vegan but very low after (not sure of exact numbers - it was years ago). I have heard that saturated fats (all those lovely processed products!) can have an adverse effect on cholesterol production...but I'm no expert.

Great looking new board BTW :)

[Erin Pavlina]

Yeah, I think one problem I may be having is genetics. My mom's cholesterol was 390 when she had a heart attack. She also smoked but gave it up after the heart attack.

I want to see my cholesterol dip below 200 some day though!

[willow]

if all your family have the problem genetics is probably an issue. You're going in the right direction though.

[Katharina]

Hi Erin,

the following is a very informative article on cholesterol. You may want to check the types of vegetable fat you are consuming, and make sure you avoid hydrogenated fats and palm fat (high in saturated fats).

Controlling Cholesterol

Almost every adult living in an industrialized nation develops some degree of atherosclerosis, commonly known as “hardening of the arteries.” In the U.S., many children have fatty streaks, or “pre-atherosclerosis,” in their arteries. Atherosclerosis leads to strokes, heart attacks, and other serious health problems.

Heart disease is linked to risk factors. The principal risk factors are high cholesterol levels, smoking, and high blood pressure. Other risk factors include: diabetes, obesity, family history of heart disease, and stress. Following is an overview of how food choices can affect one's cholesterol level.

Every animal cell, both human and nonhuman, contains cholesterol. Cholesterol is important in some cell functions, and the liver produces all of the cholesterol the body needs. There is no need to consume any in one's diet.

Cholesterol and fats move through the body in protein packages called lipoproteins. Low density lipoproteins (LDLs) carry cholesterol to the organs through the arteries. The LDLs deposit their loads through the inner walls of the arteries. This process encourages the growth of deposits, called plaques, on the artery walls which narrow the artery and obstruct the flow of blood. This is atherosclerosis. If the blood flow to the heart is blocked, a heart attack can occur. If the blood flow to the brain is blocked, a stroke can occur. Since LDLs promote atherosclerosis, they are known as “bad cholesterol.” The higher the LDL level, the higher the risk of heart problems.

“Good cholesterol,” found in high density lipoproteins (HDLs), moves back to the liver where it is disposed of. People who exercise, don't smoke, and stay at their ideal weight tend to have higher levels of HDLs. Since the majority of cholesterol is in the form of LDLs, a high blood cholesterol level means high LDL levels. Blood cholesterol levels are affected by many factors. But even people with a hereditary tendency toward heart disease can do something about their cholesterol levels. This is very important because with every 1 percent reduction in total blood cholesterol, there is about a 2 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack.1 Population groups with an average cholesterol level of 150 or less are largely free of atherosclerosis. For cholesterol levels above 150, the risk of heart disease increases.2 Following are some guidelines for lowering blood cholesterol:

Decrease Fat Intake, Especially Saturated Fats

Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, but are easy to avoid. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. They are found predominately in animal products but are also found in a few vegetable oils, such as palm oil, coconut oil, chocolate, and hydrogenated oils.

Decrease Cholesterol Intake

Cholesterol in foods increases levels of LDLs.3 Cholesterol is found only in animal products. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs all contain cholesterol, while plant products do not. Choosing lean cuts of meat is not enough; the cholesterol is mainly in the lean portion. Many people are surprised to learn that chicken contains as much cholesterol as beef. Every four-ounce serving of beef or chicken contains 100 milligrams of cholesterol. Most shellfish are very high in cholesterol. There is no “good cholesterol” in any food. Cholesterol in foods raises the cholesterol level in one's blood. The best thing to do is to keep one's fat intake very low and to avoid all animal products.

Go Vegan

As suggested above, basing one's diet on plant foods—grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits—is the best way to keep saturated fat intake low and to avoid cholesterol completely. A vegan diet is free of all animal products and yields the lowest risk of heart disease. One study showed that people who adopt a vegetarian diet reduce their saturated fat intake by 26 percent and achieve a significant drop in cholesterol levels in just six weeks.4 Besides the very low levels of fat eaten in a typical vegetarian diet, vegetable protein also helps decrease risk for heart disease. Studies have shown that replacing animal protein with soy protein reduces blood cholesterol levels even when the total amount of fat and saturated fat in the diet remain the same.5

Fiber: The Added Advantage of a Vegetarian Diet

Soluble fiber helps to slow the absorption of some food components such as cholesterol. It also acts to reduce the amount of cholesterol the liver makes. Oats, barley, beans,6 and some fruits and vegetables are all good sources of soluble fiber. There is no fiber in any animal product.

Maintain Your Ideal Weight

Losing weight helps to increase HDL levels (the “good cholesterol”). Carrying excess weight can affect one's risk for heart disease. People who are thick around the middle (“apple-shaped”) are at a higher risk than those who carry excess weight around the hips and buttocks (“pear-shaped”).7 “Apple-shaped” people should lose weight through a low-fat diet and aerobic exercise.

Eat Lots of Small Meals

People who eat frequently throughout the day have lower cholesterol levels. In one study, men consumed either 3 meals a day or 17 snacks a day. The snackers experienced a reduction in cholesterol levels in comparison to the three-meal-a-day group.8

Reduce Stress

Mental stress causes an increased release of adrenaline which may elevate blood cholesterol levels. Relaxation techniques such as stretching, deep breathing, or meditation help in lowering blood cholesterol.

Exercise

Aerobic exercise raises levels of HDL-cholesterol and may also reduce levels of LDLs. Exercise also has other benefits for the heart: it strengthens the heart muscle, promotes weight loss, and lowers blood pressure. Exercise can also help reduce stress. Exercise does not have to be terribly vigorous A daily half-hour walk is helpful.

Avoid “Miracle Cures”

Some people have been promoting fish oil supplements as a means to reduce blood cholesterol. However, studies show that they do not lower cholesterol levels. While they may affect triglycerides (fats in the blood), they also may change the overall pattern of lipoproteins in one's blood in a way that is not beneficial.9 A diet including fish is not as beneficial as a pure vegetarian diet.

There have also been reports that alcohol raises one's levels of HDLs. But recent studies have shown that alcohol does not raise the type of HDL that protects against heart disease. Alcohol address extra calories to the diet and increases the risk for some forms of cancer.

Avoid Tobacco

Tobacco poisons one's heart as well as lungs.

It's All Tied Together

In order to stop and to reverse atherosclerosis, it is important to take all of these guidelines to heart. Making only modest changes yields only modest results. A low-fat, vegetarian diet coupled with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress reduction program is the best way to lower one's cholesterol levels and can even reverse heart disease for many people.10 Well-documented information can be found in Foods That Fight Pain; Eat Right, Live Longer; and Food for Life by Neal Barnard, M.D., and Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease by Dean Ornish, M.D.

[Erin Pavlina]

Good info. Thanks for posting that.

[HimuraLain]

Yes, my cholesterol is only 109. My pediatric endochrinologist says I need to get it a little higher, isn't that rare? lol, I gotta eat more french fries and put more oil in my tofu pasta, hehehe.

[Compsognathus]

I know non-animal foods don't contain cholesteral. Can you raise your cholesteral just by consuming fat?

[HimuraLain]

I was told that I could raise it by consuming oil, which is converted to cholesterol.

[VOW]

I'm waiting to find out if my cholesterol has dropped since I've become Vegan. I fully expect it to. My next doctor appointment is in July, and I'm having the bloodwork done at the end of June.

Your body needs cholesterol to function. The problems occur when you have an excess of it. Your liver breaks down cholesterol, and it also creates it. A major component of cholesterol is fat....so if you are eating ANY sort of fat, saturated or not, then the liver can convert it into cholesterol.

Studies have shown that certain TYPES of fat (such as monosaturated, like olive oil) can actually lower cholesterol. But like everything else in life, too much of a good thing isn't a great idea. And if your family genetics is haywire and your liver gets the wrong instructions to crank out excess cholesterol, it may take MORE than just a healthy diet to bring the numbers down.

The first step to lowering your cholesterol is diet with exercise. And the Vegan diet is an EXCELLENT start! You are removing a major source of dietary cholesterol by eliminating animal fats, especially dairy fats. (l/o vegetarians can have horrible cholesterol levels!) If you are overweight, plan your diet to increase complex carbs, get rid of junk food, and minimize fats. What fats you do consume, make them the good guys. It's also been shown that an increase in soluble fiber (beans, oatmeal, etc) can also lower cholesterol.

But keep in mind that being Vegan doesn't make you healthy any more than being born in California makes you a surfer.


~VOW

[durkfx]

Erin,

Check out John Mcdougall, MDs website at www.mcdougall.com.

He has advocated a low-fat, vegan diet for many years. In fact, he suggests consuming absolutely no addes fats of any kind: sunflower, canola, safflower, olive. He maintains that even monounsaturated fats are cancer causing. I just learned this after discovering that I, too, still have high cholesterol.

My HDLs are high, my LDLs are considered average with my overall being 203 (it started at 244, then went down to 233, then 224, then 194 last year and now back up to 203). Prior to having my first child 6 years ago, my overall cholesterol was 122-124 for 10 years.

I went mostly vegetarian a few years before pregnancy. I wasn't overweight until after having my first child. I'm still carrying an extra 20 pounds, which isn't healthy, but I didn't think it was enough to catapult me into stroke waiting lane since I was eating a "healthy" mostly vegetarian diet. My chronic high readings were finally enough to scare me into going vegan this time.

I hope the website helps you stay motivated the way it does me. I want to give my children the gift of a vegan diet being second nature to them because this is hard for me, especially when we're away from home and hungry.

Best wishes with your upcoming delivery!

[durkfx]

Justin,
According to John McDougall, MD, you will raise your cholesterol by consuming any saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated (olive) oils as well as high-fat foods: tofu (50% fat), soy milk, soy yogurt, soy cheese, canola mayo, vegan butter, nuts, etc. The down side is he believes consuming any of these oils promotes cancers.
I hope this helps! I had no idea it was a problem to have low cholesterol? McDougall does mention that striving for cholesterol around 120 is optimal.
Good luck!

[annie7]

My cholesterol went from 280 to 140 in less than a year. The only change in my diet was using benecol for everything that called for butter or margerine, and drinking a green tea that advertised that it promoted healthy cholesterol levels. I don't remember the name brand but they carried it at Scott's and Kroger. That blood test was during being vegetarian, but since becoming vegan, I am curious what it is now. It will get re-tested in 5 months. If any one is curious I'll post it when I know what the "Vegan" results are.
side bar: It really irks me to hear vegan mispronounced. Like I'm protective of the word. Silly??:confused:

[Doug]

My cholestrol level right now is 108! It used to be about 130.

[Kelly]

I had just had my choleterol tested at a grocery store health fair, and it was too low to register on the machine they were using. The machine just said <120. I assume that means I am okay.


Kelly

[JudyMH]

I don't know about my cholesterol, but my Blood Pressure went way down, every time I get a check up they always remark about my excellent BP. I have been veggie for quite awhile, but at one time they were going to put me on BP medicine, this was in 1985, haven't heard about it since. Last time I had my cholesterol checked it was 164, so I guess that's ok. Judy

[Dancer]

I know this is an older post, but I had to tell you that I just received my cholesterol results and am amazed. First, you have to understand that I have inherited my mother's very high cholesterol proclivity, and although I am very fit and athletic, I have struggled with diet and exercise for decades to bring it down from the 250 range (not good at all).

Today, as a vegan, my new reading is 145! That is nearly miraculous for someone like me! I know that others have posted an enviably lower rate, but I AM FINALLY making progress.

Yea for veganism!

Dancer

[Erin Pavlina]

Funny you brought this up now. I just had my cholesterol rechecked and it's still really high. 276! Lordy, what does a person have to do to get a low cholesterol reading!

I've been told by both regular and vegan doctors that I have just inherited the problem... in the genes. Great... :(

[Dancer]

..here you are Erin, living life with an exemplary diet, clear head and, well, high cholesterol. Indeed it's quite true that we can be held captive through our genes.

Medication is not always the acceptable route, but it is out there, if your level ever becomes too high for what you deem a safe level. I am wondering if metabolism plays a piece in this as well.

Do what you can, live well (as you are) and smell the roses!

Dancer

[Christa]

Erin, have you tried any herbal treatments? You are probably breastfeeding now with your little guy, so this may not be the best time to be trying out herbs or anything, but it may be worth a try.

My husband has had very good luck getting his bp down with Hawthorne & I believe that Hawthorne is supposed to help with cholesterol, as well, but I would have to double check on that. I know that there are some alternative treatments that may be worth a shot, though, especially if you are at a medication point. I am not a huge fan of taking Western meds, though!

I haven't had my cholesterol checked in years, but it has always been btwn 120-140, so I am assuming that it is probably still fine. I do think that I have good genes here, though.

[Erin Pavlina]

On the bright side, my HDLs are great and my Triglycerides are great too. It's just those LDLs that are too high.

[VOW]

I nearly broke down and cried at my first doctor appointment with labwork after I had been Vegan for about three months.

Cholesterol was the same, HDL down a little bit, triglycerides UP.

My doctor reassured me, saying they were "only numbers." She instead praised my weight loss, my exercise efforts, and said that frequently a change to a Vegetarian/Vegan diet for weight loss often resulted in elevated triglycerides, because you substitute carbohydrates for FAT.

In fact, she was determined to keep me motivated, to NOT stop the healthy lifestyle changes I had made!

And I really attribute her understanding attitude about the triglyceride elevation to the fact that she is Vegetarian herself.

My yearly physical is in January. Here's to hoping I get some NICE lab numbers then!!



~VOW

[xmysticprincessx]

Erin, a look at the bright side: Imagine what your cholesterol level would be at if you WEREN'T vegan...

[mabelkitty]

I used to work at a hospital, and so I had my cholesterol checked for free when they offered it for employees. At the time, I was vegetarian and also suffered a lot with IBS. I thought for sure my cholesterol would be something like 150, but it was 216! The nurse asked what I ate, and I explained that I was a vegetarian who ate some cheese and dairy, but that I had been drinking soymilk for years and so dairy wasn't a big part of my diet. She just said I should probably have a more thorough test done (when you fast beforehand, I guess). I am planning to have my cholesterol checked again once school is out. High cholesterol runs in my family -- my dad had a heart attack when he was 39 -- so it may be like Erin's situation, where the family genes play a big part.

Best wishes to you,VOW, for your January test results! I think it's wonderful you have such a supportive doctor. My dad takes two heart meds, my stepmom THREE high blood pressure meds, and I wonder why none of their doctors has recommended cutting back on the meat -- they must eat it at every meal (save for breakfast). My stepmom has a major attitude about my diet, though, so I don't know how I'd approach her about changing hers (even though it's HER LIFE I'm concerned about!). I want to try, however -- I think three meds for blood pressure is extremely excessive, and I can't understand how she hasn't been put on a special diet or been taught anything about keeping it low. Mind-boggling!