High cholesterol, which affects more than half of British adults, causes fatty deposits to build up in the arteries and raises the risk of heart attack, stroke and dementia. While nearly eight million people in the UK take statins to manage it, the drugs can cause side effects and often fail to bring cholesterol down to healthy levels, prompting renewed attention to the "Portfolio diet" as an alternative or complementary approach that experts say can rival medication's effectiveness.

Devised by Canadian researcher Dr David Jenkins in 2002, the diet combines fibre, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes, which together are said to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol by up to 35% within a month, comparable to some statins. A 30-year Harvard study of nearly 210,000 health professionals found close adherents had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who followed it least, while cutting red meat alone can lower LDL by around 10%. Jenkins notes the diet suits people who need only a modest cholesterol reduction rather than the steep drops provided by newer, stronger statins, and benefits general health regardless of cholesterol levels.