Firefighters discover vegan diet lowers cholesterol
By Better Health Research News Desk • May 13th, 2009 • Category: Cholesterol, Health News, Health Resources News
A recent publicity tour has highlighted the quest of a group of Texas firefighters to find a diet with real health benefits.
A segment on CBS Sunday Morning presented a story of Austin firefighters who switched to the vegan diet and saw their cholesterol levels fall considerably.
The program aimed to promote a new book by Rip Esselstyn entitled Engine no.2 where he recounts the health benefits his fellow firefighters incurred after trying the plant-only diet.
According to Cleveland.com, the author’s father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., was a Cleveland Clinic surgeon for more than three decades and is now active in the Clinic’s Wellness Institute, where he promotes the benefits of a vegan diet to prevent or reverse heart disease.
In fact, the younger Esselstyn was inspired by his father to eat only plant-derived foods as early as 1986, when he became a pro triathlete.
In addition to a healthy diet, consumers may also consider using nutritional supplements to lower their lipid levels.
In particular, niacin, omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil and red yeast rice extract have the dual benefit of reducing LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, and increasing the levels of the healthy HDL.
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