Using healthy oil in your diet can lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease. Too much cholesterol in the blood can clog the arteries, decrease blood flow and cause dangerous problems for the heart. You can improve your cholesterol counts by replacing certain fatty foods with foods and oils containing healthy fats.
LDL and HDL
High cholesterol occurs when low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol accumulates on the walls of the inner arteries to form plaques that interfere with blood flow to the heart, leading to heart disease. If the plaques burst, the arteries can become completely blocked, causing heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), referred to as the "good" cholesterol, gathers excess cholesterol in the bloodstream and brings it to the liver for removal as waste.
Unsaturated Fats
Oils containing unsaturated fats help lower harmful cholesterol, in contrast to saturated fats found in fatty meats, poultry and whole-milk dairy products with their negative effects. Saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol, but unsaturated fats help reduce LDL and raise HDL cholesterol. The two types of unsaturated fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Olive, canola and peanut oils contain monounsaturated fats. Corn, soybean, sunflower and flax seed oils have polyunsaturated fats.
Healthy-Fat Diets
Dutch researchers analyzed 60 trials in which monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats replaced carbohydrates. The healthy fats lowered levels of LDL and increased HDL cholesterol, according to the study reported in the May 2003 issue of "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Research suggests the Mediterranean diet, practiced by people living in the Mediterranean region, may reduce the risk of heart disease, according to MayoClinic.com. The diet discourages eating foods with saturated fats and uses olive oil as a primary source of fat. Olive oil, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices make up the foundation of the Mediterranean diet food pyramid.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
You can find a cholesterol-lowering type of polyunsaturated fatty acids, called omega-3 fatty acids, in oily fish, including salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, herring and halibut. Inuit Eskimos from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland eat high amounts of fish with omega-3s and have increased levels of HDL cholesterol, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. They also have decreased levels of triglycerides, fats in the blood related to cholesterol, which decreases their risk of heart disease. Omega-3s may expand blood vessels to reduce or prevent high blood pressure, a risk factor in heart disease.
Fish Oil and Supplements
Manufacturers usually make fish oil supplements from mackerel, tuna, herring, halibut and salmon. Fish oil may work effectively with statin drugs for people with high cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, MedlinePlus points out. Fish oil in combination with vitamin B-12 may lower cholesterol. Scientists believe fish oil prevents the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
