Nutrition MD Neil Barnard launches a 21-day Vegan diet to help you keep your arteries from clogging up with cholesterol from animal fats; means cutting out all animal source food, including dairy which will also help men avoid prostate problems. Cheese of which Americans consume 30 pounds annually should be avoided, even on pizzas (replace it with extra tomato sauce). Risk of cardiovascular disease increases 2% for each one percent rise in total cholesterol. Desirable cholesterol concentration is 200mg/dl but epidemiological evidence suggests risk of cardiac events decreases as total cholesterol levels plateau at 150 mg/dl.
Vegan diets free of cholesterol and very low in saturated fat reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) by 17 - 40%, with strongest effect seen when diet is combined with exercise. Soluble fibre foods: oats, barley, legumes and many fruits and vegetables reduce cholesterol by binding with bile acids.
Click for Full Text! Tatarewicz: If Dr. Barnard's contention proves true for most of the population (that genetics don't make exceptions) and people buy into it Veganism will be a major paradigm shift in agriculture (million animals/chickens killed hourly) and in health not only in terms of heart disease but in food contamination from which 5,000 die annually and which usually comes from animal product.