Conclusions This systematic review and meta‐ analysis provides evidence that vegetarian diets effectively lower blood concentrations of total cholesterol , low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol , high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol , and non – high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol .
Such diets could be a useful nonpharmaceutical means of managing dyslipidemia , especially hypercholesterolemia
Background Vegetarian diets exclude all animal flesh and are being widely adopted by an increasing number of people ; however , effects on blood lipid concentrations remain unclear .
This meta‐ analysis aim ed to quantitatively assess the overall effects of  vegetarian diets on blood lipids .
Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Disease: A Series of Epidemiologic Studies in Japanese Populations
Although the causal relationships of high serum levels of  total cholesterol  ( TC ) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) with coronary artery disease ( CAD ) are well established , there have been few community-based epidemiologic studies of these relations in Japan . Furthermore , even when analysis is restricted to ischemic stroke , the relationship between dyslipidemia and stroke is very weak . Accordingly , it is difficult to perform cohort studies of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease . A series of studies , such as the NIPPON DATA ( National Integrated Project for Prospect i ve Observation of Non-communicable Disease and Its Trends in the Aged ) cohort study of a representative sample of Japanese , have greatly increased existing evidence . NIPPON DATA 80 revealed a clear positive relationship between TC and CAD , and indicated that reverse causality between hypocholesterolemia and liver disease may increase all-cause mortality in hypocholesterolemic Japanese . NIPPON DATA 90 showed that serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C ) was inversely associated with all-cause mortality , even when HDL-C was very high . NIPPON DATA 80 revealed that low-normal levels of serum albumin and TC are associated with a decline in activity during old age , especially in women . The Suita study —a unique cohort study of urban residents — showed that LDL-C and non – HDL-C were equally accurate in predicting the incidence of myocardial infa rct ion . Further research of this quality is needed to ascertain the public health burden of dyslipidemia in Japan
Conclusions This systematic review and meta‐ analysis provides evidence that vegetarian diets effectively lower blood concentrations of total cholesterol , low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol , high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol , and non – high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol .
Such diets could be a useful nonpharmaceutical means of managing dyslipidemia , especially hypercholesterolemia
Background Vegetarian diets exclude all animal flesh and are being widely adopted by an increasing number of people ; however , effects on blood lipid concentrations remain unclear .
This meta‐ analysis aim ed to quantitatively assess the overall effects of  vegetarian diets on blood lipids .