It is a potentially deadly health condition that plagues more than half of all British adults.
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that → plague → adults
High cholesterol causes a sticky form of fat to build up in the arteries, blocking blood flow.
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form → cause → flow
Left untreated, it can raise the risk of a heart attack, stroke and even dementia.
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it → leave → attack
And the problem is only growing more common, with an increasing number of young people, aged 30 and under, being diagnosed.
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number → grow → people
As a result, nearly eight million people in the UK and around 92 million in the US are on statins – a daily tablet which lowers so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.
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which → lower → levels
But the drug is not without side effects, with common ones including muscle pain, digestive issues and headaches.
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ones → include → pain
Half of those taking the pills fail to reach healthy cholesterol levels after two years.
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Half → take → years
Now experts have told The Mail that millions could benefit from a highly effective plant-based diet that could lower cholesterol nearly as much as medication.
uncertain
that → tell → medication
The Portfolio diet, coined by Canadian researchers in 2002, focuses on four major food groups which are known to reduce cholesterol: fibre, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes.
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which → coin → cholesterol
Changes to your diet can combat high cholesterol, which affects eight million people in the UK
Each has previously been shown to work independently to remove excess cholesterol from the body.
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Each → combat → body
But Dr David Jenkins, the plant-based diet’s creator, who is professor of nutritional sciences at University of Toronto, says that, combined, these foods can work similarly to a financial portfolio – taking multiple approaches to maximise returns.
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foods → base → returns
The numbers seem to speak for themselves.
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numbers → seem → themselves
Studies show that the Portfolio diet can lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – or ‘bad’ – cholesterol by up to 35 per cent in just one month – roughly the same reduction as some forms of statins provide.
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forms → show → statins
For years, researchers disagreed over the long-term impact of the diet on heart health.
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researchers → disagree → health
But recent research has settled this debate.
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research → settle → debate
A Harvard study, which looked at the diet of nearly 210,000 health professionals in the US over 30 years, found that those who stuck most closely to the Portfolio diet had a 14 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who followed it the least closely.
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who → look → it
Professor Jenkins says: ‘More and more people have raised cholesterol.
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people → say → cholesterol
But not all of them require a heavy cholesterol reduction – as many of the newer, stronger statins provide.
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many → require → statins
For most people, in fact, a smaller cholesterol reduction – like that provided by the diet – will do.
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reduction → provide → diet
And it benefits anyone trying to eat more healthily, not just those looking to reduce their cholesterol.
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it → benefit → cholesterol
So what is the Portfolio diet and why does it have such a profound effect on cholesterol levels?
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it → have → levels
Firstly, it’s important to understand the nature of cholesterol.
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it → ’ → cholesterol
LDL can form plaques which block arteries, raising the risk of deadly complications.
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which → form → complications
HDL, meanwhile, is meant to clear LDL by moving it from the bloodstream to the liver where it gets filtered out of the body.
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it → mean → body
When HDL levels fall too low, LDL can build up unchecked.
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LDL → fall → ?
It has long been known that diet can affect this balance, with foods high in saturated fat, such as red meats and dairy products, shown to spike levels of LDL in the blood.
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foods → know → blood
And while some cases of high cholesterol are based on genetics, the most common cause of high LDL cholesterol is poor lifestyle habits.
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cause → base → cholesterol
These can include drinking too much alcohol, smoking, not getting enough exercise and eating a diet high in fat.
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These → include → fat
Certain dietary changes, therefore, have been shown to be particularly effective at reducing cholesterol levels.
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changes → show → levels
Stopping or significantly reducing red meat consumption can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10 per cent, for example.
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Stopping → stop → example
And the renowned Mediterranean diet, which emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fish,
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which → emphasise → fruits
For lunch, try a salad with chickpeas, leafy greens, avocado and sunflower seeds, drizzled with olive oil or, if on-the-go, a wholegrain wrap with hummus, chickpeas, roasted vegetables and salad
But some experts now say that none of these dietary changes can rival the cholesterol reduction provided by the Portfolio diet.
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none → try → diet
Its benefits lie in its combined approach, says Dell Stanford, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation.
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Stanford → lie → Foundation
She adds: ‘A lot of different foods can lower bad cholesterol, whether that’s oats, beans or certain vegetables.
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that → add → cholesterol
But these tend to only lower it individually by a relatively small amount.
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these → tend → amount
‘The idea behind the Portfolio diet is that combining as many of these individual foods together will result in a large reduction in cholesterol.
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combining → combine → cholesterol
And studies have shown this, with the bigger reduction occurring for patients who adhere to the diet the most strictly.’
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who → show → diet
The first food group it focuses on, says Professor Jenkins, is fibre.
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Jenkins → focus → ?
It is already well known that fibre, a form of carbohydrate, has various health benefits.
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fibre → know → benefits
Studies have shown it can help with weight loss, regulates blood sugar levels and even reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
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it → show → cancer
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
