Scientists around the world simultaneously showed that saturated fat—the kind in butter and lard—increases both “bad” LDL cholesterol and “good” HDL cholesterol, making it similar to carbohydrates overall but not as beneficial to health as polyunsaturated fats from nuts and vegetables.
The worst foods for high cholesterol, given their high saturated fat content, include: Red meat, like beef, pork, and lamb, as well as processed meats like sausage. Full-fat dairy, like cream, whole milk, and butter. Baked goods and sweets.
“It's high in cholesterol and high in calories,” he adds, “and if you're using so much, a quarter of a pound or a half a pound, to cook during the day and bake during the day, it just adds up. Butter contains high levels of saturated fat and that's what drives up cholesterol.”
A recent study funded by the butter industry gave further confirmation that butter increases both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), especially when compared with olive oil as an alternative.
Light butter has half the calories, saturated fat and cholesterol of butter. This blend of light butter and oil has heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (MUFAs and PUFAs).
Margarine often tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is a blend of oils that are mostly unsaturated fat.
Another important distinction is that olive oil, which is a plant-based food, has less saturated fat and no dietary cholesterol while butter does.
Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.
Olive oil is packed full of beneficial antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol while leaving your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched.
Cheese is a great source of protein and calcium but is often high in saturated fat and salt. This means eating too much could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Research shows that exercising at least three times a week lowers cholesterol and prevents heart disease. If your cholesterol numbers aren't where they ought to be, working out should be a key part of your get-healthy strategy.
It's less processed than plant spreads but does contain saturated fats. Based on measurements of over 20,000 individuals, our scientists predict that for 64% of the people, it's OK to eat butter regularly — about every other day — but not every day, and large quantities may have a negative impact.
While coffee does not contain cholesterol, it can affect cholesterol levels. The diterpenes in coffee suppress the body's production of substances involved in cholesterol breakdown, causing cholesterol to increase. Specifically, coffee diterpenes may cause an increase in total cholesterol and LDL levels.
Heart Health
Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol and triglycerides can harden or block your arteries over time, leading to heart disease or atherosclerosis.
Does Rice Increase Cholesterol Levels? While rice does not contain any cholesterol in it, eating too much rice has been known to have an effect on the body by increasing cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
An intake of the half to one clove of garlic per day lowers cholesterol levels approximately 10%. [23,24] Mechanisms that explain the observed effects of garlic include a decrease in cholesterol absorption, cholesterol, and fatty acid synthesis.
Chicken has less saturated fat and dietary cholesterol than pork, beef, and lamb. For example, you get only about 90-100 mg of cholesterol from eating a small grilled, skinless chicken. It is a decent amount for consumption since doctors recommend no more than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
Examples: butter, lard, bacon grease, dairy fat
Saturated fats raise the total blood cholesterol by raising the harmful LDL (low-density lipoprotein), but they also raise beneficial HDL (high-density lipoprotein) in comparison to carbohydrates, although researchers dispute how helpful this increase is.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Background: Coconut oil is high in saturated fat and may, therefore, raise serum cholesterol concentrations, but beneficial effects on other cardiovascular risk factors have also been suggested.