“A vegetarian ‘ape-diet’, based on the foods our simian cousins eat, is as effective in lowering cholesterol as an established cholesterol-lowering drug, reveals a new study. High cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The key components of the ape diet are plant sterols, found in plant oils and enriched margarines, viscous fibre, found in oats, barley and aubergine, and soy protein and nuts.

People with raised cholesterol following this primitive diet had their levels of bad cholesterol slashed by about a third – the same reduction provided by the statin drug, lovastatin.

…(H)umans may be evolutionarily adapted to the diet, which is similar to that eaten by gorillas and orangutans.”

New Scientist