Is cholesterol harmful to health? How much cholesterol can I eat? Which foods contain cholesterol? Nutritionists answered these and other questions.

Cholesterol is found exclusively in products of animal origin There are two types of cholesterol: dietary cholesterol and cholesterol, which is contained in the blood. Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin.

In plant foods, there is no cholesterol, so if you see a sticker on such products "does not contain cholesterol" - this is just a marketing move.

Cholesterol is necessary for the body Even if you do not eat animal products at all, your body contains cholesterol. The liver produces cholesterol, because it is necessary for some very important functions of the body, such as hormone production and digestion of food. However, the body can do without cholesterol from the outside.

There are "bad" and "good" cholesterol. These are two types of cholesterol in the blood - HDL ("good") and LDL ("bad"). HDL is good because it carries cholesterol from the arteries back to the liver where it can be taken out of your body. LDL has the opposite effect. Too much LDL cholesterol clogs and narrows the arteries, and creates inflammation. This chain of events can lead to a sudden rupture that sends a clot into the bloodstream, causing a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol from foods does not affect blood cholesterol levels as it was generally considered earlier. Studies have shown that an increase in blood cholesterol by 1% increases the risk of heart disease by 2%.

For many years WHO has recommended receiving no more than 300 mg of cholesterol from food per day. It is known that one egg yolk contains 185 mg of cholesterol, and 1 tablespoon of butter - 30 mg.

However, recent studies have shown that the amount of cholesterol used can only slightly change the level of cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, the new recommendations of the association of nutritionists read: "Previously adopted restrictions on cholesterol should be abolished".

New recommendations do not mean that harmful food can be eaten without restrictions.

Many people decided that now you can eat in unlimited quantities pizza, dumplings and cheeseburgers. This is not true.

Scientists all the same recommend limiting the use of saturated and (especially) trans fats in food, because in large quantities they contribute to an increase in the risk of vascular and heart disease.

In the diet should be more healthy fats, as well as fiber, which can be obtained from vegetables, fruits and cereals.

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