No difference

Vegetarian Times, Jan, 2004

Results of a University of Toronto study published in the July 23, 2003 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association finds that a diet rich in soy, fiber and plant-based proteins can be as effective in lowering LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, as a diet that includes statins, which are common LDL-lowering medications.

The difference in the cholesterol-level decreases experienced under the two diets--both about 30 percent--were impressive but also statistically indistinguishable.