Rethinking the Dietary Causes of High Cholesterol

By Editorial Staff

If you're struggling to figure out the best eating plan to stay healthy, you're not alone. After all, we're bombarded with messaging about the latest "fad" diets every day: high protein, plant-based, low fat, low carbohydrate; even a high-fat strategy has its proponents.

High cholesterol elevates heart disease risk; that's no secret. But the dietary choices that lead to high cholesterol are less understood – until now, perhaps, with the release of new recommendations published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. An international team of experts suggest that a diet low in carbohydrates (and thus sugar) is more significant than saturated fat intake with respect to high cholesterol and CVD.

Of course, the type of carbohydrate can also make a difference, and unfortunately, the average American diet is loaded with processed, sugary, white-flour, nutrient-devoid carbs that do nothing but elevate our blood sugar – and apparently, our risk of heart disease as well. Your doctor can tell you more about the perils of poor carbs / dangers of sugar, and the health benefits of a balanced diet high in nutrients, fiber and sustainable fuel that delivers sustained energy, lean muscle growth, reduced disease risk and more.