What dietary factors help reduce the risk of heart disease?

One of the reasons that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, such as Lipitor and Zocor, reduce the risk of a heart attack is that they reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Equally important may be the effect of statin drugs on reducing inflammation.

However, you don’t have to take cholesterol-lowering drugs to decrease chronic inflammation. One study compared the effects of a low-fat diet high in soy, plant sterols, and fiber with the effects of a statin drug and found that both reduced C-reactive protein by about one third.

Another important factor in preventing heart disease is nitric oxide. An amino acid called L-arginine is converted by your body into nitric oxide. It’s found in higher concentrations in soy protein and plant protein, and is one of the mechanisms by which eating more closely toward the healthy end of the Spectrum is so beneficial.

Find out more about this book: The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer,...

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