If you want to control your cholesterol, it's important to understand how what you eat affects how much -- and what kind of -- cholesterol your body will produce. Beef liver, long considered a healthy choice due to its vitamin and mineral content, is not so much of a good nutritional bargain when talking about cholesterol.
Cholesterol Basics
Your blood contains three different kinds of cholesterol, each with different effects on your circulatory health. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, is the "bad cholesterol" most people think of when they use the word. Triglycerides, another form of cholesterol, are also considered "bad" for circulatory health. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol, actually contributes to heart health by cleaning your bloodstream of harmful substances including both LDL and triglycerides.
Cholesterol and Diet
Your body produces blood serum cholesterol when you eat specific substances. Eating saturated fats stimulates your body to produce harmful LDL cholesterol, while it produces beneficial HDL in response to taking in unsaturated fats. Triglycerides form in response to sugars and refined grains in your diet. Dietary fiber can also reduce your levels of bad cholesterol by facilitating your body's natural cleansing processes.
Liver and Nutrition
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides nutrition information for a typical, 3-oz serving of beef liver. A serving contains about 1 g of saturated fat and 0.6 g of unsaturated fat. It contains no sugars, refined carbohydrates or dietary fiber.
Liver and Cholesterol
Liver contains both saturated and unsaturated fats, meaning it will stimulate your body to produce both helpful HDL and harmful LDL cholesterol. Since it lacks sugars and refined carbohydrates, it will have no effect on your triglyceride counts. The lack of dietary fiber means it won't contribute to cleansing your blood of cholesterol beyond your extra production of LDL.
Bottom Line
Since it contains nearly twice as much saturated fats as unsaturated fats, beef liver will stimulate your body to produce more LDL than HDL. This will raise your levels of LDL and total cholesterol, the two most commonly used measures of harmful cholesterol.
