Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all your body's cells. Your body needs some cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest food. The body produces all the cholesterol it needs. Cholesterol is also found in animal foods, such as egg yolks, meat, and cheese.
If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. The plaque sticks to the walls of your blood vessels. This buildup is called arteriosclerosis. It can cause coronary artery disease, which can narrow or even block the arteries.
Cholesterol indicators
Cholesterol occurs in different types of protein-containing particles, including high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). The cholesterol theory of heart disease is that certain particles, such as LDL and VLDL, build up and clog arteries, causing atherosclerosis.
Most experts have refused to use total cholesterol as an indicator of heart health after researchers discovered that one form, HDL, could actually be protective. At that point, LDL cholesterol became the go-to indicator, although some doctors test all non-HDL cholesterol, including both LDL and VLDL.
Some cardiologists order another marker: a blood protein known as apolipoprotein B (apoB). ApoB provides a direct measure of cholesterol-carrying particles.
Avoid these foods if you have high cholesterol
You may be surprised to learn that half of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol. A groundbreaking 2017 study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 10,000 people who had suffered heart attacks and found elevated blood levels of a protein associated with inflammation: C-reactive protein, or CRP.
Some were given an anti-inflammatory drug and others a placebo; the anti-inflammatory group experienced 37% less inflammation and 15% fewer cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks) compared to the placebo group.
SodaPublic enemy number one turns out to be sugar: It may be even worse than saturated fat at raising cholesterol and overall heart disease risk, according to research in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
According to research published in JAMA, a diet high in sugar—and sweetened beverages like soda are a major source—increases bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood), while lowering good HDL cholesterol levels.
Add these sweet drinks to your list of foods to avoid if you're concerned about high cholesterol.
Processed red meatOne of the foods to avoid with high cholesterol is meat. However, you may not realize that your body needs some cholesterol: it's used to build crucial cells and hormones. According to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Lean, unprocessed red meat, when eaten as part of a Mediterranean-style diet, may improve heart health .
Trans fats“Man-made trans fatty acids raise cholesterol and independently contribute to heart disease risks,” Spano says. And although many manufacturers have eliminated, or are in the process of eliminating, trans fats, they still appear in a surprising number of foods with bad cholesterol: prepackaged baked goods, desserts, and even some types of chocolate.
Read labels and avoid anything that lists partially hydrogenated oils as an ingredient , Spano says.
Fried foodOils used to fry foods are often high in unhealthy fats, and food chemistry research has found that Cooking foods in these oils at high temperatures induces chemical reactions that increase the formation of trans fats .
These fried foods to avoid with high cholesterol also tend to be unhealthy or greasy to begin with—think fried chicken, fried mozzarella sticks, and donuts, for example—making them a double threat.
White bread, rice and pastaWhen you eat simple carbohydrates without fiber, your body breaks them down like sugar, resulting in increased inflammation and LDL cholesterol. Overeating refined carbohydrates like white rice, white-flour pasta, and white bread can have the same effect on your body as drinking soda , says New York City-based dietitian Amy Shapiro.
Some breakfast cerealsNot only are most cereals made from refined carbohydrates, but breakfast cereals also tend to contain added sugars, Spano warns. In a Plos Biology study, people with healthy blood sugar levels fell into prediabetic and diabetic ranges after eating a bowl of cereal with milk.
Other research in the World Journal of Gastroenterology points to sugar as the primary cause of fatty liver disease, which increases the risk of heart attack. Eating too much added sugar and starch over time can also raise blood pressure, increase chronic inflammation, and lead to high triglycerides, low HDL, and high VLDL levels.
Unsweetened oatmeal (look for steel-cut or slow-cooked types that can be naturally sweetened) is a healthier choice for your heart, thanks to all the fiber it offers.
Fast foodWhile generally lacking in nutrients and not good for you, fast food can have an especially insidious effect on cholesterol. A 2017 study in the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that People who ate fast food more than once a week had increased levels of LDL and total cholesterol compared to people who rarely ate it .
The study authors said that, over the long term, elevated levels of LDL and total cholesterol could increase the study subjects' risk of coronary artery disease by 10 percent.
Salt is also abundant in fast food and raises blood pressure, another risk factor for heart disease. And if fast food includes a soft drink, it's a triple whammy of foods to avoid with high cholesterol, as consuming too much sugar can cause obesity, and the risk of heart disease increases as weight and waist circumference increase.
Bottled salad dressingsSalads are supposed to be healthy, but they're on the list of foods to avoid for those with high cholesterol if you drizzle them with commercial salad dressing. Most contain a surprising amount of added sugar, Spano says.
In fact, when consumer group Label Insight crunched the numbers, they found that 91 percent of the more than 4,200 dressings in their database contained added sugars; worse yet, a single two-tablespoon serving could exceed the daily sugar limit. Stick with oil and vinegar or a homemade dressing.
DairyWhile it's not yet known how much of an effect foods have on cholesterol levels, this is especially true for dairy products. Some research indicates that things like aged cheddar cheese and yogurt, despite being full-fat, have little to no effect on blood cholesterol, Spano says.
In general, it's okay to consume these foods in moderation. As always, try to include more plant-based and less processed foods in your diet regularly—an undeniably winning dietary strategy. Your heart will thank you, says Spano.
