According a new health advisory report, reducing cholesterol intake does not substantially affect the amount of cholesterol in a person's blood, which is mostly determined by genetics. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)
New health advisory report finds high cholesterol foods not as bad as previously thought
A recently published US health advisory guideline states that "cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption," reversing a position held by many health advisory bodies around the world for the past three decades.
Previously, it was believed that consuming high cholesterol foods was directly related to increased cholesterol content in a person's blood, heightening the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and stroke. But the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, prepared every five years for the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture of the US, now states that "available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol."
The report goes on to say that removing foods containing cholesterol from one's diet does not lower blood cholesterol, and that more important than the total amount of blood cholesterol is the amount of "good cholesterol" - which is more dependent on genetics than on diet.
Although the guideline is specific to the US, its recommendations are carefully considered by governments and health authorities around the world.
The most recent version of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines, published in 2007 by the Chinese Society of Nutrition, suggests a daily intake of cholesterol not exceeding 300 milligrams, which is the same as what the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has suggested since 1977.
Case study
Wang Bin, a 30-year-old IT worker in Beijing, began a rigorous diet three months ago after a sudden increase in weight.
But after significantly reducing his consumption of red meat, and replacing most of his former diet with vegetables and salad, he found that his blood cholesterol level still increased.
"It has been the strictest diet I had ever been on," said Wang, who lost 2.5 kilograms over the period. "What else could I have done to lower my blood cholesterol level?"
The answer, according to Ma Guansheng, a professor of nutrition and food at the School of Public Health at Peking University, is that Wang might not need to.
Ma explained that 70 percent of cholesterol found in a person's blood is produced by the human body itself, in the liver, totaling about 1,000 milligrams per day. Only 30 percent of a person's blood cholesterol can be attributed to diet, with meat, egg yolks and dairy products being common items that are high in cholesterol.
"Diet only has a very slight influence on a person's blood cholesterol level," said Ma. "A normal level of blood cholesterol is 2.8 to 5.9 millimoles per liter. For every 100 milligrams of cholesterol consumed through food, the maximum increase in a person's blood cholesterol level is 0.038 millimole per liter."
