7 Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a type of lipid found in the blood and in the diet. It has many functions and is a structural part of all body cells, and is an essential component of brain and nerve tissue. It is needed to form hormones, bile, and vitamin D. Many foods contain cholesterol, but mostly it is found in foods of animal origin. Some meats are higher in cholesterol than others, and generally speaking, fish is lower. However, shrimp is high in cholesterol (Grosvenor, Smolin, & Bedoya, 2014).

The human body produces two types of cholesterol: low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). The “bad” cholesterol is LDL. Some research (Harvard Medical School Patient Education Centre, 2015) suggests that if your LDL level should drop by 1%, your risk of heart disease will drop by 1% to 2%. However, if your HDL level should increase by 1%, your risk of heart disease will decrease by 2% to 4%. There is some research suggesting that HDL and LDL levels are influenced by diet (Harvard Medical School Patient Education Centre, 2015). In particular, fibre may raise HDL levels, but this research is not conclusive. Other researchers have concluded that fish oils may also reduce serum cholesterol levels.

Tables 6a–6e provide the fat and cholesterol content of selected foods.