Cholesterol is a waxy substance your body uses to produce vitamin D, create some hormones and digest your food. Too much cholesterol, however, increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease and heart attacks. Safflower oil contains heart-healthy fats that can improve your cholesterol readings.
Identification
Cholesterol is a fatty product that doesn't dissolve well in your blood. It attaches itself to lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol throughout the body and into your cells. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is considered "bad" cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is "good" cholesterol. Your total cholesterol reflects levels of LDL, HDL, triglyceride fats, and Lp(a), a genetic variation of LDL cholesterol.
Effects
When you have excess LDL cholesterol in your blood, some of the lipoprotein combines with triglycerides to create rigid plaques on the inner walls of the arteries that nourish your heart. Over time, these plaques prevent your heart muscles from getting enough oxygen and you develop coronary heart disease. HDL cholesterol helps combat the effect of LDL by transporting excess cholesterol to your liver so it can be removed from your body. HDL may also remove cholesterol from arterial plaques, according to the American Heart Association.
Prevention/Solution
You can improve your cholesterol levels by following the therapeutic lifestyle changes, or TLC, diet. TLC guidelines recommend limiting your total fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories, reducing saturated fats to below 7 percent, keeping your polyunsaturated fat intake to 10 percent or less, eating up to 20 percent of your total calories from monounsaturated fats and limiting dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg daily. Safflower oil is rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, has some saturated fat but contains no cholesterol.
Expert Insight
You can lower both LDL and total cholesterol levels by replacing saturated fats with the unsaturated fats found in products such as safflower oil. Monounsaturated fats don't affect your HDL levels, but eating a large amount of polyunsaturated fats can lower your HDL level. The Cleveland Clinic categorizes safflower oil as a polyunsaturated fat that should not exceed 10 percent of your daily calories.
Tips
Even though safflower oil is heart-healthy, it's still a calorie-dense food that you should eat in moderation. A single tablespoon of the oil contains 120 calories. You can add it to vinegar for a salad dressing or use it to lightly sauté vegetables or lean protein such as chicken.
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