shrimp and lobster. Despite being high in dietary cholesterol, shellfish is relatively healthy when not fried.
Overall, Van Horn says, “research has shown that you really cannot isolate dietary cholesterol from that total fat intake.” And eating too much saturated fat – along with too much sugar and sodium, and too little fiber – raises the risk of heart disease.
Instead of thinking about how much dietary cholesterol you can get away with, try thinking about eating an all-around healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy sources of protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, Van Horn suggests.
Put another way: If you’re eating a healthy diet, Van Horn says, a little butter now and then (and its 31 mg of dietary cholesterol per tablespoon) on your toast should not pose a major risk.
While cholesterol-rich foods are not recommended, she says, “they are better tolerated as a food source when they are the exception and not the rule.”
Does that mean I can eat eggs?
First, go back and read the part about the importance of an all-around healthy diet.
One large, whole egg contains around 200 mg of dietary cholesterol. Because of that, Van Horn says it once was considered wise to eat no more than two or three yolks per week. Egg whites are not high in dietary cholesterol.
But research regarding the effects of eggs was complicated by the fact that eggs often are eaten with high-fat foods such as bacon, sausage and butter. These days, Van Horn says, if your LDL cholesterol level is low, a few eggs per week are considered tolerable, depending on the overall content of the diet.
The 2019 science advisory says healthy people can include up to a whole egg or the equivalent in their diets each day; given the nutritional benefits and convenience, older people with healthy cholesterol levels can have two.
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What if I have high blood cholesterol?
Anyone with a high LDL cholesterol level should consider reducing sources of both saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, Van Horn shares, because together they are considered more likely to contribute to arterial plaque. This is especially a concern among people with overweight, obesity or other risk factors.
Some people are genetically predisposed to high blood cholesterol levels. Health care professionals often advise such patients to