Cholesterol Confusion: What You Really Need to Know About Dietary vs. Blood Cholesterol

Just when you think you’ve got cholesterol figured out, a headline pops up claiming that cholesterol doesn’t matter anymore. No wonder we’re all confused!

And that’s because headlines don’t normally distinguish between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol - and these are absolutely not one and the same!  The cholesterol you get from food has relatively little effect on your blood cholesterol levels.

Dietary Cholesterol vs. Blood Cholesterol

While dietary cholesterol may not impact blood cholesterol much, abnormal blood cholesterol is still a major health concern and a key risk factor for heart disease. The thing to understand is that most of the cholesterol in your blood isn’t from food; it’s produced inside your body.

For years, physicians have known that dietary cholesterol—like the kind found in eggs, steak, and other animal products—has relatively minor effects on blood cholesterol numbers. The saturated fat in those items is another story!  Saturated fat can drive cholesterol up - sometimes way up!  The real culprits behind abnormal cholesterol levels might even  be the simple and processed carbohydrates in our diets. In fact, some of the worst cholesterol levels are seen in people who follow a low-fat, low-cholesterol eating plan. There are complex biological reasons for this—definitely a topic for another blog.

So, What Should You Focus On?

The takeaway here is that food’s effect on health is much more complex than any single nutrient. And that when it comes to  maintaining heart health through nutrition, the best approach is the one that’s been around for millennia: Eat real, whole foods. Not too much. Mostly plants.  All the complexity of cholesterol metabolism is turned into an advantage when you do this.

At Step One Foods, we are proud to offer products you can trust - made from real, whole plant-based ingredients, all scientifically shown to improve cardiovascular health. After all, your health is very important to you. It's paramount to us.