Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is commonly referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, because a high blood level increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. Ideally, your LDL should be less than 100 mg/dL. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, it should be even lower at 70 mg/dL. Diet plays a major role in LDL levels. If you have high LDL, the implications are that you may be eating foods that contribute to elevated LDL and not eating enough of foods that can lower it.
Fats
Saturated fats and trans fats can raise LDL levels. Saturated fats are present in meat, poultry with skin, seafood, whole-milk dairy foods, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut and coconut oil. Trans fats are even worse for LDL. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils contain trans fats. In the United States, most trans fats in the diet come from commercial baked goods, snack foods, processed foods, margarines and fried foods from restaurants.
However, not all fat is bad for you. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats not only do not raise LDL, they help lower it. Good sources of monounsaturated fats are nuts, seeds, avocados, and canola, peanut and olive oils. Good sources of polyunsaturated fats include walnuts, flax seeds, fish, and sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed oils.
Dietary Cholesterol
Your body needs cholesterol, and it can make all you need. You also consume cholesterol in your diet when you eat any food from an animal source, such as meat, dairy and eggs. The kind of fat in your diet affects LDL more than dietary cholesterol does. However, it is still wise to limit your intake of dietary cholesterol, especially if your LDL is high. Ways to do this include eating no more than one egg a day or egg whites instead of whole eggs and eating fish instead of meat.
Fiber
Dietary fiber is present in food from plant sources. You cannot digest fiber, but it is vitally important to health. Dietary fiber comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber, found inside the cells of plants, dissolves in water in your digestive tract, forming a gel-like substance that attaches to dietary cholesterol and carries it out of the body. All foods from plants contain soluble fiber, but oats and oat bran are among the best sources. Other good sources are beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and broccoli.
Plant Sterols
Phytosterols are the plant equivalent of cholesterol. While you can absorb as much as 50 to 60 percent of cholesterol in your diet, you only absorb about 10 percent of phytosterols. Phytosterols block the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines, which results in lower levels of LDL in your blood. Like soluble fiber, all foods from plant sources contain phytosterols, but some have higher amounts. Unrefined vegetable, nut and olive oils are excellent sources. Certain margarines, such as Take Control and Benecol, are formulated to be rich in phytosterols. Other good sources of phytosterols include nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; LDL Test -- All Information; D. Dugdale, et al.; May 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- Health Services at Columbia; A Bowl of Oatmeal a Day Keeps the Cholesterol at Bay?; May 2001
- Linus Pauling Institute; Phytosterols; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al.; August 2008
