Dietary cholesterol found in food contributes approximately 25 percent of all the cholesterol in your body, according to the American Heart Association. Although this number seems low, the 75 percent produced by cells in the body provides enough cholesterol to meet the body's need, leaving all dietary cholesterol as excess. Since high blood cholesterol levels increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, everyone can benefit from a low cholesterol diet.
Daily Recommended Intake
Doctors recommend maintaining total blood cholesterol levels at 200 mg/dL or less to keep a low risk of heart disease. To help reach this goal the American Heart Association recommends limiting the average daily cholesterol intake to 300 mg or less. On average, men in the United States consume 337 mg of cholesterol per day, while women consume 217 mg of cholesterol each day.
Intake for High Risk Patients
Patients who have high cholesterol levels or already suffer from heart disease should reduce their daily cholesterol intake even more. A high cholesterol level includes anyone with a total blood cholesterol of 240 mg/dL or higher. People with levels of low-density lipoprotien, or LDL, between 130 and 159 mg/dL are diagnosed as borderline high; levels between 160 to 180 mg/dL indicate high cholesterol. People with borderline or high cholesterol should consume no more than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day. Since cholesterol occurs only in animal products, this requires limiting meat, dairy and eggs.
Role of Fats
Dietary cholesterol is not the only substance in food that contributes to high blood cholesterol levels. The type and amount of fat you consume can influence blood cholesterol levels even more than dietary cholesterol, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Saturated fat, the type of fat that remains solid at room temperature, and trans fat -- fat produced by adding hydrogen -- both cause high blood cholesterol levels when consumed in excess. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your total daily calories and trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of the total calories.
TLC Diet
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommends following a low cholesterol diet known as the "TLC" diet, for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. The TLC diet provides guidelines for fat, cholesterol and sodium intake, to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. The TLC diet limits the intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of the total calories. It also limits the cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day. Following these guidelines should help reduce your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk for heart disease.
References
- American Heart Association: Two Sources of Cholesterol; April 2008
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Heart Disease
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What is High Blood Cholesterol?
- American Heart Association: Cholesterol
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: High Blood Cholesterol -- What You Need To Know
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol
