Consumer
Guide To Fats
Dietary Fat and Cholesterol Levels
Many people are confused about the effect of dietary fats
on
cholesterol levels. At first glance, it seems reasonable to
think that eating less cholesterol would reduce a person's
cholesterol level. In fact, eating less cholesterol has less
effect on blood cholesterol levels than eating less saturated
fat.
However, some studies have found that eating cholesterol
increases the risk of heart disease even if it doesn't increase
blood cholesterol levels.
Another misconception is that people can improve their cholesterol
numbers by eating "good" cholesterol. In food, all
cholesterol is the same. In the blood, whether cholesterol
is "good" or "bad" depends on the type
of lipoprotein that's carrying it.
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats do not promote
the formation of artery-clogging fatty deposits the way saturated
fats do. Some studies show that eating foods that contain
these fats can reduce levels of LDL-cholesterol in the blood.
Polyunsaturated fats, such as safflower and corn oil, tend
to lower both HDL- and LDL-cholesterol. Edible oils rich in
monounsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, however,
tend to lower LDL-cholesterol without affecting HDL levels.
Government Advice
Dietary guidelines endorsed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advise
consumers to:
Reduce total dietary fat intake to 30 percent or less of
total calories.
Reduce saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of calories.
Reduce cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams daily.
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