Cholesterol

[Jessica QuinnParticipant]

What are some dietary sources of cholesterol and how can we incorporate those foods into our diet?

[Jennifer DayParticipant]

Cholesterol is essential to the structure and function of membranes in the human body, lipid digestion and transport, and hormone production. Cholesterol originates from de novo synthesis and from dietary sources(1). Foods high in cholesterol can cause cholesterol levels in the blood to increase, but only about one in three people seem to be susceptible to the effects of cholesterol in their diet (2).
So what foods are dietary cholesterol coming from? The main sources of dietary cholesterol are from animal products including: organ meats, eggs and shellfish (2). The level of cholesterol in the blood may also be decreased by including dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (3) that are prevalent in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout, some vegetable oils including corn and safflower oil and some nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds and walnuts (4).

1. Jones PJ. Regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis by diet in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66(2):438-46.
2. Jaret P. Cutting Through the Cholesterol Confusion. WebMD. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/cholesterol-food. Accessed April 24, 2014.
3. Mattson FH, Erickson BA, Kligman AM. Effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol in man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1972;589-594.
4. Which Foods are high in polyunsaturated fats. American Heart Association. Available at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Polyunsaturated-Fats_UCM_301461_Article.jsp. Accessed on April 24,2014.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 12 months ago by  Jennifer Day.

[Jessica QuinnParticipant]

Great! This is so helpful. I am also a vegetarian, so finding alternative sources for nutrients can sometimes be tricky. According to a paper that I found by Duo Li, a vegetarian diet tends to be low in cholesterol, among other nutrients. (1) I love eggs, so that will be a good source of cholesterol. This will still keep my level low since I do not eat meat or sea food. What are some effects of high cholesterol? Is it possible to be high in cholesterol from consuming multiple servings of eggs everyday?

1. Li, D. Effect of vegetarian diet on non-communicable disease. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 30 Jan 2014; 94(2):169-173. Available at http://apps.webofknowledge.com.dist.lib.usu.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=2Ci6CDYShZHvp1v34LM&page=1&doc=5.

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