The Misunderstanding of Dietary Cholesterol

By Kesley Romelien

College Hill Writer

Edited by Nick Lionetti

Stock Photo

Many individuals conscious of their health and diet have likely heard that eating foods high in cholesterol increases one’s blood cholesterol levels and in turn elevates one’s risk for developing heart disease.

Surprisingly, this is not true for most individuals that consume dietary cholesterol. In 1968, the American Heart Association announced public health guidelines that limited eating cholesterol-rich foods to 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.

This resulted in the avoidance of consuming certain food sources, like egg yolks which are high in cholesterol but contain many healthy vitamins and minerals, and lead to many various negative opinions about cholesterol-rich foods.  It was not until a meta-analysis conducted by Berger and colleagues in 2015 was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that this recommendation changed as the study concluded that the dietary cholesterol one consumed was not statistically significantly associated with coronary artery disease, contrary to what was once believed.

Instead, recent research has shown that blood cholesterol levels are mainly influenced by unhealthy dietary fats such as saturated and trans fats, the overconsumption of carbohydrates, genetic predispositions, and lifestyle decisions rather than one’s dietary cholesterol consumption. According to the National Institute of Health, humans should “include adopting a diet low in saturated and trans fatty acids, [and incorporate] functional foods rich in bioactive substances such as fiber [and] antioxidants.”

As a result, nutrition experts now suggest most people consume a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, sources of lean proteins, and healthy fats, irrespective of one’s dietary cholesterol intake, for all-inclusive dietary health.

Considering these recent scientific findings, it is vital that health organizations stay up-to-date regarding their nutritional guidelines as healthcare providers could deter people from healthy food choices, like eggs, if they do not.