7 Surprising Facts About Cholesterol
You've probably heard by now that eating eggs is safe for cholesterol levels.
But it turns out there are other, more surprising facts you should know about cholesterol. It's often the culprit in many heart problems, including heart disease and heart attack. And whether you're at genetic risk of heart disease or just want a heart-healthy diet, don't miss these key cholesterol lessons:
1. Your body actually needs cholesterol.
Our body is made up of cells, each of which has a membrane, or lining. The outer lining is made up of cholesterol, a waxy, fat-like substance that the cell needs for normal bodily function, says Kevin A. Bybee, MD, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Cardiovascular Consultants and the Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO. Cholesterol aids in the production of vitamin D and certain hormones and makes bile acids that help with digestion.
2. Just as heart disease can be inherited, so can high cholesterol.
Some people are at a healthy weight, eat well and may even follow a vegetarian diet, but their cholesterol levels are high. This could point to a genetic cause of high cholesterol. "For some people, the liver makes cholesterol at a faster rate than the body otherwise needs or can utilize," says Bybee.
About 1 in 500 people are born with a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, where the body cannot remove "bad" LDL cholesterol. As with people who develop high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease later in life, people with familial hypercholesterolemia are counseled to make diet and lifestyle changes and to take medications that lower cholesterol, such as statins, to keep their cholesterol in check.
3. Even if you have high cholesterol, you're not condemned to heart disease.
"If someone has high cholesterol, they're at twice the risk of coronary disease as someone who doesn't," Bybee says, but he adds that having high cholesterol doesn't always directly lead to heart disease. Heart disease is caused by many risk factors—some related to lifestyle, others genetic—but it's ultimately a condition that builds over a long period of time. Cut your heart disease risk through regular exercise, a diet rich in colorful produce and, most important, a preventive care regimen, achieved by working with your health care provider.
4. Products with labels that say they contain no trans fats can still be bad for your cholesterol.
If a product has less than 0.5 gram per serving of trans fats, which are known to raise "bad" LDL cholesterol, it can declare itself "trans fat free." So you could be getting bad-for-you fats without realizing it. "Trans fats are unnatural," says James H. O'Keefe, MD, a board-certified cardiologist at Cardiovascular Consultants and Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO, and co-author of The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle. "They're chemically altered, waxy, foreign products that gum up your system and increase your risk of heart attack and brain problems"; research has linked eating trans fats to memory issues, even in people under 45.
To make sure a product doesn't have those fats, you can try to look for clues in the ingredients list (like the term "partially hydrogenated oils"). But what's even better than reading labels? "Eat foods that don't have labels," suggests O'Keefe. That means unprocessed fruits, vegetables and other whole foods, like whole grains and lean meats.
5. Giving up cigarettes can help you have healthier cholesterol levels.
According to one study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, quitting smoking increases your "good" HDL cholesterol by about 5%, especially in women, and even if the quitter also gains weight while saying goodbye to smokes.
6. Drinking red wine can improve your cholesterol.
"Any alcohol will raise your ["good"] HDL cholesterol," O'Keefe says, but that can be offset by downsides—such as the impact of more-than-moderate drinking on blood pressure and stroke risk. It's most important to get the amount you drink right, O'Keefe emphasizes, or alcohol can turn to a negative, not a plus.
Keep consumption to no more than one drink for women and two for men, per day, and if you already pass on alcohol, there's no reason to start drinking. If you have a choice, pick red wine, which has heart-healthy antioxidants, O'Keefe says. It has even been shown to improve cholesterol levels in those with narrowed arteries, if combined with exercise and a Mediterranean diet, according to a 2013 study published in Nutrition Journal.
7. Saturated fats aren't the evil they've been made out to be.
There's no association between dietary saturated fat and increased risk of heart disease, according to recent reviews of research. "It's more important to think about whole foods rather than specific nutrients," O'Keefe says. "If you eat modest quantities of lean red meat, about the size and thickness of your palm, once or twice a day," that amount of saturated fat is OK. He suggests ditching anything deep fried or highly processed for moderate servings of healthy saturated fats—unsweetened low-fat or whole milk Greek yogurt, a little bit of butter, or a dash of cream in your coffee—and boosting veggie and fruit intake.
Lora Shinn is currently based in Southern California, where she writes about mind/body health, women's health, fitness and more.
Reviewed by Joseph Sclafani, MD, on December 23, 2014.