Adding monounsaturated fats to a diet low in saturated fat may improve cholesterol levels

Lowering cholesterol is a concern of many people, some of whom turn to statins to do the job. But a new study finds that adding monounsaturated fats to an already low-cholesterol diet may improve cholesterol levels as well.

The small study included 24 men and women with cholesterol levels that were mildly to moderately high who were on a month-long monitored diet low in saturated fat. After that, some were randomly assigned for a second month to a vegetarian diet -- also monitored -- that was either high or low in monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are fatty acids that are thought to lower LDL "bad" cholesterol and raise HDL "good" cholesterol. Foods containing monounsaturated fats include avocados, walnuts and olive oil.

In the high-monounsaturated-fat diet, 13% of carbohydrate calories were replaced with monounsaturated fats in the form of sunflower oil (test subjects could exchange some of that for avocado oil).

Read the full article at LA Times - Click Here

Egg Yolks Versus Fast Food in Cholesterol Showdown

Pop quiz. Which food contains more cholesterol: one egg yolk or a Hardee's Monster Thickburger (which is two thirds of a pound of beef, three slices of cheese and four strips of bacon)?

Sadly, folks, it's the egg yolk at 215-275 mg of cholesterol compared with the Monster's 210 mg, a fact reported in a paper in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. The recommended daily intake for cholesterol is 220 mg or less. But even knowing this, would you cease with the scrambled eggs and start inhaling KFC Double Downs (with all the fat and calories) instead?

The point that these docs are trying to make is simply that, despite all the stories about how eggs are back, eggs are good for you, and please eat more eggs, if you're very concerned about cholesterol, and if you're at risk for cardiovascular disease, a high-cholesterol diet is ill advised. So maybe you should rethink the daily frittata.

Read the full article at Slash Food - Click Here

Total Cholesterol Levels Have Fallen Since 1976

According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from three time periods spanning 1976 to 2006, there is both good and bad news about Americans' lipid levels -- cholesterol levels are going down, but triglycerides are rising along with the prevalence of obesity; the research has been published in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

Jerome D. Cohen, M.D., of the St. Louis University School of Medicine, and colleagues examined NHANES data from three time periods to assess lipid level trends.

The researchers found that, overall, age-adjusted mean total cholesterol dropped from 210 to 200 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol dropped from 134 to 119 mg/dL, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased from 50 to 53 mg/dL from the first observation period (1976 to 1980) to the most recent (1999 to 2006). The number of those having total cholesterol classified as high decreased 9 percent from the 1976 to 1980 time period to the 1999 to 2006 time period; those with high LDL cholesterol (at least 160 mg/dL) showed a decrease of 8 percent over this same interval. The prevalence of obesity doubled, and this was significantly associated with increased triglycerides.

Read the full article at Doctor's Lounge - Click Here

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