Hi everyone, I am new here.

I have been gravitating toward a vegetarian diet for the past 18 months or so for health and ethical reasons, but I am not quite there yet. I  have lost 60 lbs. in the process and am working on losing the last 50 lbs.

Anyway  the reason I came here today is because I was wondering if you -- or anyone you know -- has had experience with lowering cholesterol after going vegetarian or vegan?

I have had a really rough week since my doctor switched my cholesterol meds. Heart disease runs in my family and I had to go on statins about 8 months ago -- they've worked and they've lowered my cholesterol, but I've noticed I don't have as much energy and I've had some muscle soreness.

Several weeks ago my doctor switched me to Crestor and the side effects got worse. I spent most of this week in bed, with severe muscle pain and exhaustion. This morning I finally connected the dots and realized I'm probably feeling this way because of the new medication.

I really REALLY want to get off of these heart meds for good because I'm tired of the side effects. My cardiologist says that I will probably have to be on them the rest of my life because I'm genetically predisposed to cholesterol issues.... but I keep hoping. Would love to hear from vegetarians and vegans who made positive progress with cholesterol issues just by altering their diet vs. going on meds. Thanks.

Andromeda,

Congratulations on the weight loss!  This is outstanding and I'm sure you're already helping your body a lot.  I recommend you read "The China Study" by T Colin Campbell.  It has a great deal of information on studies which show that a plant-based diet has lowered cholesterol and reversed heart disease in many, many medical studies.  You might also check out the website and books by Dr. McDougall, who has run programs to reverse heart disease through a vegan diet.  Finally, the "Engine 2 Diet" book demonstrates the same information with some great recipes.

I'm not a Doctor, but I really believe that you can cure many issues by eating a plant-based diet.  The China Study is a great read to get you motivated- good luck!

Katherine, thank you so much for your response. In fact my cousin gave me "The China Study" over a year ago and it is still sitting right here on my bookshelf! I didn't realize that it had info on studies that show a plant based diet has even reversed heart disease!

Wow!

I had never heard of Dr. McDougall or the "Engine 2 Diet" so I will look into both of those things too....thanks for the tips!!!

It was meant :).   Interestingly, after eating mostly vegetarian for a year, my cholesterol was 151.  And that was with lots of dairy!  I've been vegan for three months, so it'll be interesting to see if there's a change!  Good luck with improving your health, I'm rooting for you!

I would also be interested to know if your new vegan diet has an impact.

My cholesterol went from 237 to 182 over about 6 months, but that was with the help of Pravastatins. It's time for me to have blood work done again so I'll be curious how this turns out.

One other thing, fyi. I just found a statistic ---

Blood cholesterol levels of vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians: 14% lower

Blood cholesterol levels of *vegans* compared to non-vegetarians: 35% lower!

This is from John Robbins, author of "The Food Revolution." I'm really getting inspired now!

Great info!  My mom was put on lipitor, which caused her liver to go out of whack.  I'm hoping she'll read China Study as well (she not on any meds now, just walks and has lowered her cholesterol some with exercise).  One of the books I read mentioned that Drs couldn't find a heart "incident" (attack, stroke, etc) in any patients who's cholesterol was below 150.  So that's my goal!

Hi there;) I have been vegetarian for about 14 years but my cholesterol was still a little high at 211 even though my dr considered it in a healthy range because my hdl (healthy cholesterol)  was so high. But after becoming vegan about 2 months ago my cholesterol is down to 166!! I feel better than I ever have and I am never going back to dairy and sugar!! Good luck to you.

Karie, that is fantastic! Your story really inspires me!  From 211 to 166 is quite a jump...  the more I read and learn, the more I'm becoming convinced of the health benefits of a vegan diet.

I am a teacher and in two weeks I go on summer vacation. I think this is going to be the new vegan chapter in my life. I keep drooling over those beautiful recipes in Alicia's book. I have never cooked with seitan or some of the other things mentioned... fortunately there is a Whole Foods nearby so I should be able to find the things I need. I can't wait to get started!

Katherine, I also saw this afternoon somewhere online, where it was mentioned that almost no heart attacks are found in people whose cholesterol is below 150.... that's the magic number apparently!
: )

I also read that online, however I also read that women with cholesterol under 160 are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. It's a fine line isn't it?! Just be as healthy as you can be and enjoy the wonderful healthy rewards!!

Just have to tell you.....I was on Lipitor for approx. 18 years..  When I first started doing the vegan thing, my cholesterol was 236.  When I had it checked three months later it was down to 180.  I was so excited to get off of the medication!  I've lost approx. 50 lbs & my cholesterol dropped 56 points.  Love being vegan!!  Never going back to the way things were.

Andromeda, I definitely think going vegan can lower your cholesterol.  Although I have never had high cholesterol (I think my highest total has been around 180), I had a cholesterol test done about a year after going vegan, and my total cholesterol reading was 142, 67 HDL and LDL, and triglycerides were 38.  This is by far the lowest I've ever had.

Congratulations on your weight loss, and good luck!

Great thread! Love the results!

As it turns out, lowering your cholesterol is very good for you in ways you may not have suspected. We all know about the link between cholesterol and heart disease. Well cholesterol is a good predictor of a wide range of the very diseases that we want to avoid. Breast cancer, cognitive disfunction, osteoporosis, arthritis, premature aging and many other whole categories of disease are reduced.  

A total combined under 150 provides very good protection. The ratio of so-called "good" cholesterol to "bad" cholesterol is just a canard to sell meds.  You want the total as low as possible. People in the category have low "good" and "bad" cholesterol are in much better shape then those that are said to have enough of the "good".

Superhero is the way to get there.

I had very high cholesterol for years, and it slowly came down - but it is the lowest it has ever been for me (it's still slightly high but nothing compared to what it was) since I went vegetarian/mostly vegan last year. I didn't eat a lot of red meat but I think cutting down the dairy had a big influence.
Once you eat well as a veggie you certainly shouldn't see your cholesterol get higher anyway!

Andromeda - I know several people who have tried the Engine 2 Diet to lower their cholesterol and lose weight, and all have had success. It can be a great starting off point, however, I have read the book (because I wanted to go vegan, I have not had to deal wiith high cholesterol, thank goodness), and I would recommend The Kind Diet over it. Like I said, it can be a great starting point, especially for people who have really bad diets, but it uses a lot of processed soy products, and a lot of nightshades. Maybe you should try reading both and see what you think will work for you.