The OMNIVEG crossover trial placed young men on a standard Mediterranean diet including dairy, eggs, fish, and meat for 21 days, followed by a vegan Mediterranean diet, which excluded these animal-based foods, for 28 days.1 After consuming the vegan Mediterranean diet, participants significantly lowered their total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Additional research suggests that removing the olive oil could lower total and LDL cholesterol even further.2
