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How Do Some Foods Increase Cholesterol Levels? |
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Written by Webmaster
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By Sandy Hines
 High cholesterol is a major problem amongst a number of people. There are a variety of reasons for somebody developing cholesterol problems and one of them is the food they eat. Eating some kinds of food can dramatically increase our cholesterol levels, but we can easily manage this ourselves. If we stay away from foods containing lots of hydrogenated fat we can be pretty certain that our levels of cholesterol will come down. But does alcohol drinking have an influence on cholesterol levels, or should we just pay attention to our food?
If I drink a glass of wine, might that add to my ldl cholesterol levels?
Many people enjoy a drink with a meal but worry that it will aversely influence cholesterol. Many individuals are of the impression that alcohol can raise cholesterol levels and influence a person's health in a variety of ways. The good news is, however, that moderate drinking appears to have no effect on cholesterol levels.
Anyone drinking moderate units of alcohol, about one drink per day for ladies or
two each day for men, should see no change in their cholesterol but people who exceed these quantities might do so.
Small levels of alcohol can in fact raise the HDL cholesterol which can be beneficial, but drinking in excess of 3 drinks every day may damage your health. HDL cholesterol is more protein than fat, and this can help clear the bad cholesterol from the blood. A higher HDL cholesterol level can help reduce the danger of a heart attack and the best way of raising HDL cholesterol is with the diet.
Does coffee raise your cholesterol levels?
Drinking percolated coffee, like espresso, or filtered coffee like French-press coffees, can raise your cholesterol levels. But the oil compounds found in some coffee are absent from filtered coffee, so the effect is minimal.
One of the elements in coffee, Acrylamide, has been found to be carcinogenic in animals, though the World Health Organizations has stated that insufficient investigation has been conducted to see the way it effects humans. Acrylamide is formed when the coffee beans are roasted, so scientific experiments are being performed to try and find further ways of manufacturing coffee that dont create a build-up of acrylamide. Other scientific studies have linked two oils formed when coffee is brewed, cafestol and kahweol, to increases in total cholesterol levels and also LDL cholesterol levels.
Will chocolate raise my cholesterol levels?
Despite what nearly all people believe eating chocolate won't increase your cholesterol levels significantly. This is beacuse chocolate contains stearic acid that will not raise blood cholesterol . The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat, that is the identical kind of fat that is found in olive oil, and one which may very well raise HDL cholesterol. Unfortunately, eating chocolate will make you gain weight.
Chocolate was once prescribed to people experiencing tuberculosis as it was so high in calories. There are those, however, who claim that a cup of drinking chocolate taken before a meal will diminish their appetite.
If you would like to read more about how some foods and drinks affect your cholesterol levels, visit Low Cholesterol Foods.
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