Myths About Diets That Lower Cholesterol

Today, high cholesterol is becoming more prevalent in our society. There are therefore many myths about how to lower it. In this article, we will uncover the most common myths about diets that lower cholesterol.

Common myths about diets that lower cholesterol

To learn how these myths arise, it is first a good idea to know what hypercholesterolemia is and how it can affect your health.

What is high cholesterol?

Hypercholesterolemia is a disease that is characterized by high cholesterol levels in the blood. This can be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease as it facilitates the formation of atheromatous plaque.

Too much “bad” cholesterol (LDL) makes it easier for the molecules that carry it into the blood to enter the vascular walls of the blood vessels. There it oxidizes and causes an inflammatory response in the body.

Do you need to follow a low fat diet?

You’ve probably heard the myth that you need to follow a low fat diet. If your cholesterol is carried by lipids, it seems logical that you will also lower your cholesterol level if you reduce the amount of fat in your diet, and especially saturated fat.

Recent studies, however, have disproved this as it appears that saturated fat increases HDL, or “good” cholesterol, more than LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. Furthermore, experts also discovered that saturated fat does not aggravate heart disease. People often replace saturated fat with refined grains. However, this is not good. Therefore, your diet should be healthy with a sufficient amount of fat.

The best types of fat are found in:

• Fat fish
• Nuts
• Olive oil
• Avocado

Myths About Cholesterol-Lowering Diets: Does Cholesterol Intake Increase Cholesterol?

This myth has its roots in eggs since many people believe that eating too many eggs can increase blood cholesterol since eggs contain a lot of cholesterol. However, it has been proven that this is not true. In fact, eating eggs in a healthy diet can increase the amount of “good” cholesterol, as this study shows.

Most studies find no link between cholesterol intake and the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Your body has a cholesterol regulation system that adjusts cholesterol synthesis to produce what it needs. The more you include in your diet, the less it produces and vice versa.

Should you eat more vegetables and less animal fat?

This will depend on the type of fat the food contains.

Vegetable fats such as palm oil, mainly present in pastries and ultra-processed foods, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Highly refined seed oils that are high in omega-6 can also be inflammatory. Trans fats, also present in ultra-processed foods, are more harmful than animal fats.

Does this mean we should choose margarine instead of butter? Not necessarily, as margarine usually contains this type of hydrogenated fat. Butter, however, contains saturated fat.

When it comes to animal fats, you should know that fat in fish (polyunsaturated) is better than fat in meat (saturated), especially if it has been processed.

Dietary recommendations to lower cholesterol

• First, you should mainly consume the type of fats found in  nuts and seeds, fish (especially oily fish) and olive oil. You should also reduce your fat intake from processed meats and dairy products.
• Reduce your intake of pastries and ultra-processed foods. This is because they contain trans or hydrogenated fat, refined flour, refined oils and a lot of sugar, which increases cholesterol levels.

• Finally, you should increase your intake of soluble fiber. This is because it prevents the absorption of cholesterol and fat. You can find it in whole grains, vegetables and legumes.