Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Cholesterol...should we be getting any?

I think we can make all the cholesterol we need from fats we consume, but I wouldn't swear to this. Of the protein we can eat, I'm pretty sure shrimp (and possibly some other shellfish) are pretty high in cholesterol, but I assume you don't eat those.

Here's a brief summary of fats' effect on cholesterol, paraphrased from "Eating Well Is The Best Revenge" by Marian Burros:

Polyunsaturates lower total cholesterol; however, they lower "good" HDL as well as "bad" LDL (soy, peanut, corn, sesame, sunflower, safflower, walnut, hazelnut oils)
Monounsaturates lower "bad" LDL and either leave "good" HDL untouched or raise it slightly (olive, almond, avocado, canola oils)
Saturates raise total cholesterol (animal fats)
Trans fatty acids act like saturates (vegetable oils converted to be solid or semisolid at room temperature; the "partially hydrogenated stuff)

I agree with the other posters - my understanding is that SF is very useful for "sweeping" cholesterol out of your system.

My cholesterol and my triglycerides both improved dramatically once I started this diet. The cholesterol I understood, since I was dramatically reducing the amount of fat I ate,consuming very little saturated fat, consuming more monounsaturates, and consuming far more SF. I was surprised by the triglyceride improvement, since I ate a lot of sugar when I first started Heather's diet. The only thing I can figure out is that I was consuming even more sugar in processed foods before starting this diet and/or that pretty much eliminating alcohol helped.

I worry sometimes that I'm not getting enough saturated fat.

HTH.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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