A diet that incorporates cholesterol-lowering foods like soy, nuts, and plant sterols may work better at lowering cholesterol levels than a traditional low-fat diet.

A new study shows that people with high cholesterol who followed the portfolio diet, which includes a combination of cholesterol-lowering foods, lowered their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by about 13% after six months on the diet. That’s compared with a 3% LDL reduction among those who followed a traditional diet low in saturated fat.

“Given that cardiovascular disease is our major killer, we feel that a lot of people will benefit to a greater or lesser extent by adopting this diet, which is basically a plant-based approach,” says researcher David Jenkins, MD, Canada Research Chair at the University of Toronto. “Those who may want to follow the diet more specifically are those who are on the cusp for statin treatment.”

via Portfolio Diet Beats Low-Fat Diet at Lowering Cholesterol.