No, neither flaxseed oil nor cottage cheese is likely to bring down your cholesterol. In fact, if you eat cottage cheese made from whole milk, the saturated fat content could contribute to high cholesterol. But mixed evidence suggests that flaxseed – not flaxseed oil – may help lower triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Flaxseed Oil
The omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil may help to improve longevity for those with heart disease or arteriosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries. But flaxseed oil lacks fiber needed to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, two artery-clogging lipids. Flaxseed oil may also decrease symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder – ADHD – and may even play a role in breast-cancer prevention. But Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, says evidence supporting the use of flaxseed oil for these health reasons or any other health reason is insufficient.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed, unlike flaxseed oil, contains fiber. The fiber in flaxseed helps to keep cholesterol from being absorbed. Fiber passes through your body undigested, and anything that bonds to it, including cholesterol, is also eliminated. So flaxseed can reduce LDL cholesterol. Flaxseed will not affect your high-density lipoprotein – or good cholesterol.
Consuming flaxseed may increase the frequency of your bowel movements. MedlinePlus recommends taking 40 g to 50 g of flaxseed daily. Two cautionary notes: Taking too much flaxseed could cause an intestinal obstruction. Also, avoid partially defatted flaxseed. It can increase your triglycerides by 10 percent, according to MedlinePlus.
Cottage Cheese and Calcium
Cottage cheese provides calcium, but unless it's nonfat, it also has saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. It takes 2 cups of cottage cheese to supply the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of milk. Two cups of whole-milk cottage cheese have 7.6 g of saturated fat – more than three times as much as a cup of low-fat milk.
Considerations
If you like cottage cheese, choose a low-fat or nonfat variety. A cup of 1 percent cottage cheese provides about as much protein as 3 oz. of beef. But it has just 1.4 g of saturated fat, compared with 3.67 g in beef tenderloin. Your daily diet should include no more than 16 g to 22 g of saturated fat, according to the Mayo Clinic website. If you take flaxseed, ask your doctor whether you can safely take it with acetaminophen. If you're a woman, ask if you can take it with birth control pills. Flaxseed may interfere with these medications.
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