CHICAGO: A vegetarian diet high in fibre and soy is as effective at lowering “bad” cholesterol as a low dose of a cholesterol-lowering drug, according to a study released on Tuesday.

In a small study involving 46 people with high cholesterol, volunteers who followed the vegetarian diet lowered their “bad” cholesterol level by 29 percent in just four weeks.

The improvement was comparable to that seen in the group which combined a diet low in saturated fats with a daily 20 mg dose of the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin.

That group reported a 30.9 percent decrease in LDL after four weeks on the standard treatment regime.

“This study shows that people now have a dietary alternative to drugs to control their cholesterol — at least initially,” said lead author David Jenkins, a professor in the University of Toronto’s department of nutritional sciences.—AFP