10 Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of lipid found in the blood and in the diet. It has many functions and is a structural part of all body cells, and is an essential component of brain and nerve tissue. It is needed to form hormones, bile, and vitamin D. Many foods contain cholesterol, but mostly it is found in foods of animal origin. Some meats are higher in cholesterol than others, and generally speaking, fish is lower. However, shrimp is high in cholesterol (Grosvenor, Smolin, & Bedoya, 2014).
The human body produces two types of cholesterol: low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). The “bad” cholesterol is LDL. Some research (Harvard Medical School Patient Education Centre, 2015) suggests that if your LDL level should drop by 1%, your risk of heart disease will drop by 1% to 2%. However, if your HDL level should increase by 1%, your risk of heart disease will decrease by 2% to 4%. There is some research suggesting that HDL and LDL levels are influenced by diet (Harvard Medical School Patient Education Centre, 2015). In particular, fibre may raise HDL levels, but this research is not conclusive. Other researchers have concluded that fish oils may also reduce serum cholesterol levels.
Table 6 provides the fat and cholesterol content of selected foods.
| Food | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Cholesterol (mg) |
| Meats 88 g (3 oz.) | |||
| Beef, top round | 6 | 2 | 84 |
| Beef, short ribs (braised) | 18 | 8 | 93 |
| Beef liver | 4 | 2 | 333 |
| Lamb, shoulder lean (roasted) | 8 | 3 | 83 |
| Pork tenderloin (roasted) | 4 | 1 | 61 |
| Chicken, breast meat only (roasted) | 3 | tr | 73 |
| Chicken, breast meat with skin (roasted) | 8 | 2 | 82 |
| Chicken, drumstick meat only (roasted) | 5 | 1 | 82 |
| Salmon, fresh baked with butter | 7 | 2 | 43 |
| Sardines, canned in oil | 9 | 2 | 118 |
| Trout, broiled or baked | 13 | 6 | 58 |
| Oysters, raw | 2 | tr | 45 |
| Shrimp, canned | tr | tr | 135 |
| Eggs | |||
| Large fried in butter | 6 | 2 | 278 |
| Large scrambled with milk and butter | 7 | 3 | 282 |
| White raw | tr | 0 | 0 |
| Yolk raw | 6 | 2 | 272 |
| Dairy products | |||
| Milk | |||
| 2% (250 mL) | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| Skim (250 mL) | tr | tr | 5 |
| Buttermilk (250 mL) | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Whole (250 mL) | 9 | 5 | 35 |
| Cream | |||
| Cereal – 12% (250 mL) | 31 | 19 | 99 |
| Cereal – 12% (15 mL) | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Coffee – 18% (250 mL) | 46 | 28 | 155 |
| Coffee – 18% (15 mL) | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Whipping – 35% (250 mL) | 88 | 55 | 322 |
| Whipping – 35% (15 mL) | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| Cheese (45 g) | |||
| Cheddar | 15 | 9 | 47 |
| Feta | 10 | 7 | 41 |
| Gouda | 13 | 8 | 52 |
| Gruyère | 15 | 9 | 50 |
| Mozzarella | 10 | 6 | 37 |
| Mozzarella (partly skimmed) | 7 | 5 | 27 |
| Swiss | 12 | 8 | 41 |
| Cottage, creamed (250 mL) | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| Cottage, 2% (250 mL) | 5 | 3 | 20 |
| Cottage, dry curd 0.4% | trace | trace | 10 |
Table 6: Fat and cholesterol content of selected foods