Cholesterol is a waxy substance that's manufactured by humans and other animals. Your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol to build healthy cells, create hormones, manufacture vitamin D and excrete bile acids to digest your food. Too much cholesterol, however, increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease. Your liver and other body cells produce about three-quarters of your total cholesterol, but the remaining 25 percent comes from red meat and other animal foods in your diet.
Types of Cholesterol
Cholesterol's waxy consistency prevents it from dissolving in your blood, so it rides around your body on carriers called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, are called the "bad" cholesterol, while high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, are considered the "good" cholesterol. Your total cholesterol reflects HDL, LDL, triglyceride fats and Lp(a), a genetic variant of LDL cholesterol. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends keeping your total cholesterol below 200mg/dL, your LDL cholesterol less than 100mg/dL and your HDL cholesterol at 60mg/dL or higher.
Effects of Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is the culprit behind atherosclerosis, a condition that causes hard plaques to form along the inner walls of your arteries. When LDL levels are too high, the atherosclerosis can eventually restrict the flow of blood to your heart, a disorder known as coronary heart disease. HDL cholesterol fights the effects of LDL by carrying excess cholesterol to the liver so it can be excreted from your body. Many medical experts believe HDL can even pull LDL from arterial plaques, according to the American Heart Association.
Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
Deer meat contains cholesterol and saturated fats, two of the main nutrients that increase LDL and total cholesterol levels. A 3-oz. slice of venison contains 67mg of cholesterol, while other cuts of venison may be higher in cholesterol. A shoulder roast, for example, has 96mg of cholesterol in a 3-oz. serving. On the other hand, deer meat is lower in saturated fat than some other red meats. A 3-oz. serving of venison has less than a gram of saturated fat, compared to 3.7g of saturated fat in a 3-oz. piece of lean, broiled tenderloin beef steak.
Significance
The saturated fat and cholesterol in deer meat can push your daily intake well over established limits. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet outlines guidelines for fat intake to keep your blood cholesterol levels within healthy limits and reduce your risk of developing atherosclerosis. The TLC diet advises eating less than 200mg a day of cholesterol, keeping your daily fat intake between 25 and 35 percent of your total calorie requirements, limiting saturated fats to less than 7 percent and selecting healthier polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats for your remaining fat intake. If you eat a single serving of venison shoulder roast, that's almost half of your daily cholesterol limit. Helping yourself to another serving leaves no room for any additional dietary cholesterol.
Tips
If you want to enjoy an occasional serving of deer meat, choose lean cuts and use heart-healthy cooking methods such as broiling or grilling. Instead of eating a large cut of meat, use venison as part of a casserole loaded with heart-healthy vegetables or whole grains. Remember that a 3-oz. serving is about the size of a deck of cards. Restaurant meals typically include two to four times that amount of meat, so plan on sharing the entrée.
References
- American Heart
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Executive Summary
- American Heart Association: LDL and HDL Cholesterol: What's Bad and What's Good?
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fats: Know Which Ones to Choose
- USDA: National Nutrient Database
