My total cholesterol dropped 20 points and triglycerides dropped 93(!) points after a year on a vegan diet, finally within normal range after being elevated for the last 5 years on a typical SAD diet. I'm quite pleased!

At the beginning of the pandemic, I went fully plant-based after being mostly vegetarian for decades (still eating lots of cheese and ice cream). After a year, my cholesterol dropped 100 points, to my doctor's surprise. I'm 63.

I went vegan 9 years ago at age 44 and my scarily high bad cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure all fell like a stone to just above normal in under 9 months and my blood tests prove it. My doctor accused me of taking statin medication. “No, Doc” I said, “I just went vegan!” Also, my gains in the gym while vegan were the fastest and biggest of my life. I stopped lifting 6 years ago after a stupid kitchen accident, but I’m still around my college weight and look pretty ripped.

Would love to see a video about excessive protein consumption and how it's linked to atherosclerosis, CVD and whatever else it causes, as well as how it interacts with high (dietary) cholesterol.

Love that you mentioned African American stats on cholesterol. I keep trying to encourage my parents to eat better. It's so so important!

My LDL went from 500 to 80 in one year by going to a no-oil, no dairy whole plant-based diet. Great Video Mic. Good energy and whit keeping us with you right to the bitter end.

How about we discuss the frightening new study that found micro plastics in coronary artery plaques? So glad my total cholesterol is low. I did have a stroke and they thought I needed a stent for presumed blockage. There was no blockages thanks to my diet and my cardiologist advised me to stay on a WFPB for life to avoid another stroke. I got lucky that my cardiologist was a born and raised Hindu vegetarian . I doubt that a Western doctor would say the same thing.

i didn't realize this was so well understood and that so many things could attack it from different angles

I think that, even if one is prescribed statins, these lifestyle changes are worth applying. Statins only help so much, and if you can actually address the cause - rather than the symptoms - you might not need statins for long.

6:50 it seems natural fibers from whole natural foods is the key to everything healthy.

THANKS! Im a 5 year vegan, and when I put on some weight, my choletorol went from 150 to 190 which i found surprising. Fat is bad. Especially saturated.

Love your channel. Great video and love your science based approach…..I am celebrating 50 years as a vegan….. stay with it folks ….its so worth it

Mic posted!!! 🎉

I see the meat industry trolls are as quick to react to your videos as they are when plant chompers uploads. They give themselves away with their emphatic, absolute and baseless claims and, their speed of response. They need to try a different approach; too obvious.

yall eat that damn fiber

what sucks is I get 85% of calories from whole plant foods and the "processed" stuff that I consume are things like soy milk, whole grain pasta, etc. and my LDL is in the 120s and total bounces between 170 to 180. Even fasting a couple times per year and going almost entirely whole plant foods coming off the fast....nothing. For me, it is definitely genetic. Oh, and with my high whole plant diet, my fiber intake per day is 70g to 100g per day. Saturated fat intake is typically around 6g to 8g per day, so pretty low, and it is coming from a few nuts and seeds

Dr. Gregor also recommends Black Cumin for lowering cholesterol.

Wow!! That was an amazing amount of information. Thank you! I’m vegan and 50, living with HIV, aka the HIVegan. Numbers were great for 7 years but lately I’ve been put on a statin and trying to lower my cholesterol. LDL is 123, triglycerides are 317. New bloodwork in a few weeks! Happy to have found you! :)

This video is very useful to me personally. Thank you!

Total cholesterol was 168 in December 2010 before I went vegan in 2011. 5 years later I had it checked again and it was 127 and all I had done at this point was stop eating animals. I've had it checked a few times since and it stays below 140. It did rise a little from 127 to about 138 or so when I started eating healthier, But it stays below 140 and my LDL usually is below 70.

Thanks, very informative.

LOL, my wife and I both have high cholesterol. My wife takes statins, but I refuse to. I don't like the drug side-effects. Our diet has lots of fiber, and it is almost all whole food plant based with very little processed foods. In a typical day I have steel-cut oats with wheat germ, flaxseeds, apple, raisins and walnuts for breakfast. I eat a few burritos with black beans, brown rice and homemade salsa for lunch. And, for dinner we have things like mixed veggie stir-fries, Indian dishes like navratan korma or Swiss chard curry, and sometimes pasta dishes with lots of veggies. We do enjoy homemade bread, but it does have plenty of fiber with oats, chia seeds and ground flaxseeds. We do eat some vegan margarine, natural peanut butter, avocados and nuts. And, amla powder makes me gag as well. It could be that maybe we just need more exercise. I am not overly concerned about high cholesterol, but definitely curious about it. It sucks that our doctors are clueless regarding nutrition.

3:23 That reflection in the mirror in the background looks like you're dropping a verse in a Wu-Tang video.

Good stuff Mic thank you!

Good topic. Great video. ❤

I've tried everything and have been eating WFPB oil free for 10+ years, but apparently familial high cholesterol is VERY stubborn, even when you have to resort to trying drugs! Very frustrating!

Great Video!

Please, boycott palm oil!!

Thanks for the great video! Timely, since i have a physical in 2 weeks and want to lower my cholesterol as much as possible. I switched to vegan in December, from pescatarian keto, for the main reason of lowering cholesterol. It was 330, dropped to 150 after 2 months on vegan, hoping for even lower. Maybe ill try some of these tricks. My downfall is peanuts, with their saturated fat, but see they were on your list of lectin nuts that may help lower cholesterol, so maybe not so bad afterall?

Thanks Mic!

Super interesting, also appreciate you pointing out that vegan food is not automatically 'healthy'. The nuance is important!

My cholesterol was 230 as a 30-something woman. Yikes! I became plant-based, it dropped to 200. I got my hypothyroidism fixed (appropriately medicated) and my other hormones adjusted and it's now in the 150s (I was in menopause from an early hysterectomy and extremely low estrogen can cause higher blood pressure and cholesterol). We are complex! Also, flax seeds and Brazil nuts have science behind them regarding cholesterol lowering.

Been taking seeds now for about a year thanks to you mic and dropped the statins cause my levels dropped 15 points but my dr and i will keep an eye on it to see what’s what. thanks Mic😊

4 years of WFPB SOS free, BP from 140 90 to 105 70. But TC 195 LDL 115 TG 220 HDL 4O APOB 98. Fats 30 gr all home cooked food. Stopped oats bananas reduced fruit, added seeds, salt, fat to 50 gr. After 6 months TC 172 LDL 100 HDL 52 TG 66! APOB 89. More time and test needed.

Peanut-butter powder is the best, it has the fat removed. It's one of the only ultra processed things that remain in my diet.

Definitely going to add psyllium husk to my smoothies. On that front: wasn't there also an effect with flaxseeds?

Thanks!

That fatty meals and fiber train slide was very low in fiber. I average around 100g of fiber a day and get more in one meal than that whole day in the slide. Favorite frequent dinner is one or two potatoes with half a pound of broccoli and a cup of beans with some low sodium tomato sauce and nooch sprinkled all over.

Hey could be make a video about research on SIBO?

bergamot works quite well as long as the brand uses the bergamonte form.

What about octacosanol and policosanol supplements to reduce cholesterol? Can you look into them please, and perhaps mention them in a future video?

I have a partially clogged left artery to the heart that my doctor said is the artery that causes heart attacks so this information was very very important to me thank you

Plant-based diet coming up on 8 years, mainly whole-foods but admittedly I could eat more leafy greens and less processed potatoes. Working with my Doc for the past two years trying Rosuvastatin to take the edge off of my LDL. Unfortunately for me my LDL is higher than what's expected. The statin completely floored my LDL, but I felt my memory became a bit hazy whilst on statins, and with my cholesterol now we discussed and have now halved my dose. I used to have a lot of psyillium husk in my diet, Crohns also stepped into play about 4 years ago and I have to be very careful with eating infinity fibre... so lucky I have statins to use. Huzzah, getting old! 😂

It’s indeed an interesting observation that some studies have found a correlation between higher cholesterol levels and longevity in people who live to be very old. For instance, research has indicated that higher levels of total cholesterol may be associated with reaching 100 years of age1. Another study suggests that high LDL cholesterol (often referred to as “bad cholesterol”) is not associated with reduced lifespan and, in some cases, may be linked to greater longevity2.

Does super low fat plant based diet crush LDL and ApoB?

What about spreads with added plant sterols? Do they just raise lipids?

I respect and love vegan!

Hey Mic, Can you make a videos on those important herbs 🌿 like Amla and Guggle. Because i think we are not getting more information about those herbs which can work as a natural supplement which maybe hard to get from regular vegan food. Also i think we can get all the essential nutrients which we get sold in form of supplement from nature by using these herbs as a vegan alternative. 🌿🌿

I think grass has a big impact, ie sugar and grains. My cholesterol went from really bad to optimal and the biggest change was lowering grass intake, maybe alcohol too

HA❤ You did have time for jokes😂😂😂😂

I would like to try the probiotic supplement without subscribing to it…how do I do that?

Please make a video about Triglycerides and VLDL. Going on a vegan diet naturally will lower cholestrol but what about Triglycerides and VLDL??

I would really appreciate it if someone can please reply with a summary or the key points of the video.

How is the bile affected when you no longer have a gallbladder?

FYI - MKA in red yeast rice is restricted in the USA to very low levels such that most people won't see a benefit from it.

Everyone says Amla tastes terrible. I have bought it twice (once from Amazon, once from a kitchen goods store that also sells some pantry stuff) and I'm worried I'm eating something else because both times it tasted fine.

Always pair fat first before carbs, starch, breads. To reduce glucose spikes (which damage the liver) glucose queen shows many studies. More glucose spikes, equal weight gain and shorter life.

I went plant based (no oils,or saturated fat) and my ldlc dropped from 190 to mid 80’s. Pretty impressive if some vegans can get as low at mid 60’s - that’s almost heart attack proof

I’m glad I’m always snacking on fruits and nuts at the same time.

While it may not help with cholesterol, black cumin (Nigella Sativa) definitely helps lower LDL.

I’m vegan for over 10 years and have high cholesterol (I eat nothing with cholesterol) but believe it may be genetic as my parents both have high cholesterol. Could this be true?

at what point in the video is the summary?

havent been on your channel for a while. Must say you look good😊🎉 for a malnourished vegan of course (#carnivoreswouldsay 😅)

I love the Trader Joe’s vegan ice cream treats, but all the saturated fats definitely contributed to my elevated cholesterol levels ☹️ Being a post menopausal woman means I have to put more effort into making the choices that help keep cholesterol and blood pressure down….😮‍💨

What about fasting?

💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

"Every time I see a steak, I feel like I'm at a vegan funeral, surrounded by grieving carrots and mourning tofu. It's a real tear-jerker, but instead of tissues, we have kale chips." I thought I have a great humour and a heartache same time

White bread with mayonaise? Not even the Dutch do this?!!

I've been vegan for years and I went to get an anual in Jan and my LDL was 121, I was so sad because I thought my habits were better. I'll change my habits :c

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Word of the day: "Inflamaging" Excellent!

Who wants to do that? Colesterol bad, orange man bad, meat bad, milk bad. I’m staring to see a pattern here🧐.

What if you need to gain weight and have issues with low appetite though? Fat is an easy way to increase calories without being too filling. Fiber is filling. 🙃

Remember that lecithin is one of the substances that raises tmao

🔴No oil! 🔥 No oil! 🔴Surgeon Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn

Yep. My friend's father had not good cholesterol and high blood pressure on a vegan diet. He had a terrible life style. He adopted better meals, stopped skipping meals, and started doing self massage. Now he feels great again, blood pressure low, and he keeps pestering his friends to switch over to healthy type diet too instead of eating oily fried and so much sugar and such even if it is veg. No better preacher than a first hand witness haha

i think people on insta and tiktok comments have too much NPC protein

Alma tastes sour as hell but is an awesome antioxidant.

Whole Foods sells nothing without palm oil!

The biggest trial on BDSM was double blinded.

Of coarse if you are cherry picking studies and data from sources that sell vegan books, isnt that conflict of interest? Like Nestle, huge company that make processed foods, they have doctors pushing their products as healthy, most with process oils that use genetically modify soy oil, gmo canola, that are bleached, deodorizers, fumagated, and was used as grease for machinery, but hey if you want to eat process machine grease go for it.

Who will replenish the nutrients in the soil? What is a creature that only eats and excretes so proudly talking about?

Why lovering cholesterol?

In your video on Korean centenarians who got some B12 from fermented foods the average LDL cholesterol of these centenarians was about 110 mg/dL the lowest was 90 and the highest was 145 which means in middle age those numbers would be a little bit higher. If your LDL cholesterol is under 90 mg/dL you better have the best health insurance because you could hurt your health.

Best clip at the 10:25 mark. A lot of people just read the title of a study without reading it. If you read the first sentence its unclear if there is any association of total cholesterol and mortality. As Mic says dont age, and its obvious. Then shows a study, the korean study proved this, it was the largest study that debunked every we were taught. Ancel Keys lied with his 7 country study. Like taking eskimos off his study, since they ate the highest saturated fat and cholesterol from whales and had the lowest heart disease. Also took France off the list, cheese. Yet they were one of the lowest mortality rate. Ancel keys, who said Eisenhower died becuase of saturated fat vs smoking 2 decks of cigarettes, at the time the propaganda and doctors saying cigarettes were healthy, points out, these type of videos. We moved away from natural fats to lab fats, margerine, transfats, hydrogenated fats since the 70s, now we see more overweight people, matabolism shot, damaged mitochondria. But the good news insulin shots are up more than ever diabetes is a cash cow for these people.

Better oxalate than never.

I ❤️ ewe!

I know you didn't cover it in-depth, but thank you for mentioning genetics! My family has insanely high cholesterol, like my dad's total cholesterol has been over 500. My brother (who isn't vegan) had total cholesterol around 350. Mine has usually been around 230-250 since I've been vegan, which is HIGH, obviously, but a lot lower than other family members. I think it's probably time to look into taking statins to get it the rest of the way down.

Love the video! I’m confused though, why would vegans have lower fecal bile if they’re eating more fiber? Wouldn’t the fiber catch more bile as it’s going through the high fiber folks?

lethtin = tmao

What kind of peanut butter are you eating? Mine which is 100% peanuts has 1.5g saturated fat (and 6.5 g unsaturated) per 15g (1 tbsp). So that's less than 1/2 of yours. I hope you're not eating "peanut butter" that has hydrogenated vegetable oil and icing sugar in it.

While my cholesterol dropped to normal range upon initially going vegan, it quickly rebounded within the year. I don't use oils, cook most of my own food and yet it continues to remain high. I had a coronary calcium score done and it came back at 0. I am 67 yrs old and was told only 49% of people my age have that score. I also have checked my hs crp which came back at 0.6 (normal is considered less than 1). So it would appear i am somewhat of an anomaly. I am still concerned about the cholesterol numbers but if my body is handling it ok then i figure my body just needs it.

I’m only here for the jokes.

Ваш внешний вид говорит красноречивее всего 💚🌱🐰🌞 благодарю за заботу о страждущих.

Why would you want to lower it? When a low cholesterol is associated so many health problems and with suicide in men. Vegans are manipulated to think causal when you talk about association, so lowing should be scary stuff to a vegan.

I take 20MG Lipitor. My TC = 113; LDL = 51; HDH = 44; and TRI = 88. For breakfast I eat steel cut oats with oat milk, ground flaxseed, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinammon, turmeric, blueberries and a banana. For lunch/dinner, I eat beans, greens, sauerkraut, mushrooms and potatoes. I also bake my own multigrain bread, which I snack on along with apples and oranges. Btw, I don't like taking B12 supplements; so, I'll eat one hotdog/week in it's place. I'll also nibble on chicken breast, turkey or fish occassionally. It's tough...

Why would you want to lower cholesterol? It's literally what we're made of!

Could people have a bile acids problem that had nothing to do with diet and it causes high cholesterol in the blood?

Maybe I misunderstood Esselstyn, but as I recall he said "Nobody dies from a number." Of course he cares about cholesterol and does rarely prescribe statins for VERY sick people, but if one is eating his prescribed diet strictly then it is probably time to quit worrying about the number. And the idea of taking drugs for cholesterol sort of belies the fact that humans are the only animal obsessed with taking medicines and eating things that don't belong in their bodies. In some people maybe there is some reason for the elevation even when they do eat correctly that does not necessarily translate to inflammation and so the hs CRP etc is a better reading. And my young friend and guru, we question the age related increase in TC.. UNLESS you are eating SAD because I recall seeing numbers for elder Okinawans from immediate postwar data that showed those old timers with TC of 130 or less. I'm just one old male on whole plant diet and one data point, but at age 70 my TC for last five years has been mean of 155 which is 60 points lower than when I was an athletic 25 year old weightlifter eating high protein sort of paleo diet. My numbers continue to go down or hold steady generally, BUT here is an interesting thing seldom mentioned: Do NOT get your blood work DURING a significant fasting period more than just overnight because the TC and LDL likely to be about 30% higher than your average. I fasted 2 days to see if I could drop my LDL a bit, and what I got was a big surprise of almost exactly a 30% jump. There is some literature and research out there that 'splains all that, but in my great age I had never heard about it...and would be glad if you would report on that phenomenon some day. Anyway, fasting should affect the levels, long term for the better ..with caveat. Generally, if you wait a few days after the fast to do the test things should level out with a slightly lower TC and LDL according to some vegan doctors, and the long fasting test is an outlier that should be avoided or ignored from what I read. Question? What IS the best length of pretest fast for best TC results? AND does that cup of tea or coffee make a difference even though not a food exactly but an actual drug and should the cuppa be avoided til after the test?? Anyway, thanks for the good information. You always keep us informed and searching. :)