Your favorite snack can help or hinder your goal of a healthy diet, depending on its ingredients. Most kinds of potato chips do not contain high amounts of cholesterol, according to Nutritiondata. However, potato chips may contain other ingredients that adversely affect your health if you eat them too often.
Background
Cholesterol comes in two forms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of your body's cholesterol consists of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL. Your body also contains high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL. HDL helps to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, whereas high levels of LDL cause build-ups of plaque in your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Significance
High levels of LDL cholesterol build up in your arteries over time and cause the walls of your arteries to harden, resulting in atherosclerosis, according to the New York Times Health Guide. Atherosclerosis damages your heart in two ways. Your arteries can narrow as they harden, which reduces the supply of oxygen to your heart. Plaque build-up can also lead to blood clots that can cause a heart attack. There are no early warning signs of atherosclerosis. Therefore you must carefully monitor your cholesterol intake to ensure safe levels of LDL.
Potato Chips and Cholesterol Content
Most kinds of potato chips do not contain cholesterol, according to Nutritiondata. However, some varieties of chips may contain cholesterol from added ingredients. For example, a 7 oz. serving of sour cream and onion flavor potato chips contains 14 mg of cholesterol, which comprises 5 percent of your recommended daily amount.
Phytosterol-Enriched Potato Chips
Substances called phytosterols can stop your body from absorbing cholesterol. In a June 2004 article in "The Journal of Nutrition," researchers K.C. Hayes and colleagues showed that eating potato chips that contain phytosterols can actually lower levels of LDL cholesterol by as much as 15 percent. The company Corazonas sells potato chips that contain phytosterol, which it claims helps to lower your cholesterol levels.
Concerns
While potato chips do not contain high amounts of cholesterol, they do contain other unhealthy ingredients, like high amounts of sodium. A 1 oz. serving of Corazonas chips with phytosterols contains 160 mg of sodium, or 7 percent of your recommended daily amount. In a February 1998 article in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Debra L. Miller and colleagues say that people often eat larger amounts of foods that they understand to be healthy. Therefore, knowing chips that contain phytosterol can lower your cholesterol may cause you to consume larger portions. While the phytosterol in the chips may improve your cholesterol levels, consuming higher amounts of sodium can still damage your health.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: LDL and HDL
- New York Times Health Guide: Cholesterol
- Nutritiondata.self.com: Nutrition Facts
- "The Journal of Nutrition": Nonesterified Phytosterols Dissolved and Recrystallized in Oil Reduce Plasma Cholesterol in Gerbils and Humans
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Effect of Fat-Free Potato Chips with and Without Nutrition Labels on Fat and Energy Intakes
Member Comments