Want To Lower Your Cholesterol? Cardiologists Say This Is the Best Diet To Follow

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High cholesterol is a health condition that can really sneak up on you. It’s something that can creep up slowly over time without you even realizing it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10% of U.S. adults have high cholesterol, and according to a study published in JAMA, 40% of U.S. adults with high cholesterol don’t know they have it.

This means that many people are at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease without even realizing it. “When cholesterol and other fats line the inner walls of the arteries, this causes a hardening and narrowing that blocks normal blood flow. When your LDL level rises to 55 or more, this sticky plaque buildup that’s effectively choking off your blood flow puts you at risk for ‘plaque rupture’ that can cause heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening conditions, including sudden death,” says Dr. Jeremy Pollock, MD, FACC, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

Maintaining a healthy diet plays a role in both preventing high cholesterol as well as lowering it if your cholesterol is already high. What exactly does that look like? Here, cardiologists reveal the very best diet for preventing and lowering cholesterol.

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The Best Diet For Preventing and Lowering High Cholesterol

With so many different types of diet plans out there, it can be confusing to know what “eating healthy” even means. Does it mean going keto? Paleo? Following the Mediterranean diet? If you’re eating with cardiovascular health in mind, the cardiologists we talked to say there is one clear, science-backed way to eat: a primarily plant-based diet.

Dr. Frank Y. Han, MD, a cardiologist at OSF Healthcare, says that the most well-studied diets for the purposes of cholesterol reduction are the vegetarian diet, portfolio diet and the Mediterranean diet—three ways of eating that prioritize eating plant-based foods. “Vegan or plant-based diets have been shown to be most effective for lowering cholesterol by as much as 15 to 20%,” Dr. Pollock says, echoing Dr. Han.

The vegetarian diet involves avoiding meat, including poultry and fish. Some vegetarians eat fish (called pescatarians) and some vegetarians eat meat sometimes, but not often (called flexitarians). The portfolio diet emphasizes foods rich in fiber and healthy fats (such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds). It was created specifically for the purpose of lowering cholesterol. The Mediterranean diet is similar, prioritizing fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil while minimizing red meat, foods high in sugar and ultra-processed foods.

If you want to follow a diet that lowers your cholesterol, what you eat is only part of the solution; it’s also important to minimize foods linked with raising LDL cholesterol. “Eating foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, sugar and refined carbs increases your LDL cholesterol, and not eating fruits and vegetables, which contain fiber that can help your body flush out cholesterol, can also be detrimental to your cholesterol level,” Dr. Pollack says.

Dr. Han adds to this, saying, “The diets with the strongest evidence to lower cholesterol are the diets that recommend food groups in moderation, with an emphasis on decreasing simple carbohydrates and refraining from eating more calories than you need.”

How Much Does Diet Make a Difference When It Comes To Lowering Cholesterol?

While both cardiologists say that scientific studies have repeatedly shown the connection between diet and cholesterol, both say that following a plant-based diet is only one part of actively lowering it.

“In most cases, you can only lower LDL by about 10 to 15% by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. This is typically not enough to make a substantial difference in terms of relationship with LDL and the development of atherosclerosis [the buildup of fats and cholesterol in arteries], but every positive change is a step in the right direction and supports improved cardiovascular health and improved quality of life,” Dr. Pollock says.

Most people with high cholesterol will also need to take cholesterol-lowering prescription medication, Dr. Pollock says, emphasizing that this should be done in addition to maintaining heart-healthy diet and lifestyle habits, not taking the place of them.

It bears repeating that many people don’t even know they have high cholesterol. The first step to managing your cholesterol is knowing your numbers. If you do have high cholesterol, then you can talk with your doctor about what treatment plan is best for you.

“It’s important to recognize that there’s no single answer to cholesterol management. In most cases, sustained lifestyle changes combined with medications are the best treatment. Every positive change to improve your heart health is a step in the right direction, and today’s medications have proven to be key in driving LDL to a level that halts atherosclerosis,” Dr. Pollock says.

What is encouraging is knowing that high cholesterol is something you can change. Doing so just may save your life.

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Sources

Sayed, A., Navar, A. M., Slipczuk, L., Ballantyne, C. M., Samad, Z., Lavie, C. J., & Virani, S. S. (2023). Prevalence, awareness, and treatment of elevated LDL cholesterol in U.S. adults, 1999-2020. JAMA Cardiology, 8(12), 1185-1187.
Koch, C. A., Sabaté, J., Ibarrola-Jiménez, I., Silva-Faba, D., Sánchez-Torres, G., Pérez-Igartua, M., … Casas, R. (2023). Vegetarian or vegan diets and blood lipids: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Heart Journal, 44 (28), 2609–2622.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.