(Image source: TIME)

BY JING LIU

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

You're watching multisource health news analysis from Newsy.

For patients resorting to medicine or low-fat diets to lower their LDL -- or “bad” cholesterol levels -- researchers say there is more efficient way. MedPage Today explains.

“A diet that focuses on cholesterol-lowering foods such as nuts, soy and barley can lower LDL level more than the diets that focuses on lower saturated fats, particularly when they went couple dietary counseling.”

That’s according to a new study out of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Global Medical News Network has the word from one of the researchers-- Dr. David Jenkins.

“We have a very significant improvement in LDL cholesterol lowering with the dietary portfolio. They went down to 13 to 14 percent reductions.”

Compare that to those who were on the low- fat diet. Their LDL levels only dropped 3 percent. ABC explains what the low-cholesterol dieters ate.

“The regimen includes regular consumption of tree nuts and high amounts of fiber from oats, barley and vegetables. The diet says to replace butter with plant sterol-enriched margarine and substitute soy-based products for meat.”

So should those looking to lower their LDL skip the pills and opt in to the low-cholesterol diet? Food Consumer points out-- LDL-lowering drugs, called statins-- do have some side effects...

“...including muscle problems, anemia … pancreas or liver dysfunction and cataracts to name a few.”

But a cardiologist tells the LA Times-- that doesn’t mean patients should ditch the drugs entirely.

“Dietary changes do not have nearly the research track record that statins have racked up for heart attack prevention.”

The low-cholesterol diet researchers say switching your diet really isn’t that hard-- it can be as simple as subbing your morning cereal for oat bran.

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