Cholesterol Diet Myths
Eating less fat or not eating foods that contain cholesterol are some of the myths about cholesterol diets explained in this article.
Hypercholesterolemia is more and more frequent in our society. That’s why it’s easy to breed myths and mistakes when making recommendations on how we should lower it. That is why, in this article, we are going to reveal the most common myths about low cholesterol diets to you.
What Are the Myths About Cholesterol Diets?
To first know how these myths are generated, it is good to know what high cholesterol is and what it can cause to our health.
What is hypercholesterolemia?
High cholesterol is the disease that a person has when their blood cholesterol levels are high. This can predispose her to cardiovascular disease, as it facilitates the formation of atheromatous plaque.
A high level of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) allows molecules that carry it in the blood to penetrate more easily into the vascular walls of the arteries. There, they oxidize and cause an inflammatory reaction in our body.
But cholesterol is only one indicator among many of the cardiovascular risk. In the analysis, in addition to looking at “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol”, we also need to look at the inflammation values and determine if these cholesterol molecules are large or small.
Should you follow a low fat diet?
This myth is recurrent. If cholesterol is transported by lipids, it seems logical that if we decrease its absorption from food, we also reduce it, especially with saturated fat.
However, recent studies have debunked this fact, as it appears that saturated fat increases HDL more than LDL. Additionally, saturated fat has not been found to increase coronary heart disease.
Often, we replace these saturated fats with refined grains and this is not the right solution. Therefore, the diet must be healthy, with a sufficient amount of fat.
The best types of fats are found in:
- The blue fish
- The dried fruit
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Avocado
Cholesterol Diet Myths: Does Eating Cholesterol Increase Cholesterol?
This myth is rooted mainly in eggs, because it was believed that since eggs are high in cholesterol, if we consumed a lot of it, the level in our blood would increase. But today it has been proven not to be true. In fact, frequent consumption of eggs as part of a healthy diet can increase “good” cholesterol, as some studies show.
Most studies find no link between cholesterol intake and that present in the blood. Our body has a regulatory system, which adjusts the synthesis of cholesterol to produce the one it needs. The more you include in your diet, the less it produces, and vice versa.
Should we be eating more vegetable fat and less animal fat?
This question needs to be qualified, as it will depend on the type of fat in each food.
Vegetable fats, such as palm oil, which is mostly found in pastries and processed foods, are harmful to cardiovascular risk. Additionally, highly refined seed oils that are high in omega-6s may be pro-inflammatory.
Trans fats or hydrogenated fats, also found in processed foods, are more harmful than animal fats. So should we replace butter with margarine? Not necessarily, because margarine usually contains this type of hydrogenated fat; butter, on the other hand, contains saturated fat.
With regard to animal fats, a distinction must be made between fish fats (polyunsaturated) and meat fats (saturated), especially if the latter are processed.
Dietary recommendations for lowering cholesterol
- The type of fats that we should mostly consume are fats from: dried fruits and seeds, fish (especially blue) and extra virgin olive oil. While the consumption of fat from processed meat and dairy products should be reduced
- Reduce the consumption of baked goods and ultra-processed foods, as they contain trans or hydrogen fats, refined flours, refined oils and a large amount of sugar
- Increase the consumption of soluble fibers, as they prevent the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and fats. It is found in whole grains, vegetables and pulses
