To reduce your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, you’ll want to replace the saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats. But when it comes to oil, a new study says olive oil may not be your best choice. Instead, opt for seed oils.
The best seed oils
Researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke analyzed a variety of oils and solid fats in terms of their impact on blood lipids. In the study, which was published in the Journal of Lipid Research, they found that seed oils—such as safflower oil, rapeseed oil, flaxseed oil, and sunflower oil—were the best choices for LDL.
No clear “winner” was chosen from among the seed oils. In addition, these seed oils didn’t necessarily show an impact on triglycerides or HDL cholesterol.
This news will be unsettling to those who consider olive oil to be a staple in their diet or cooking methods. As the lead researcher, Dr. Lukas Schwingshackl points out, “Some people from Mediterranean countries probably are not so happy with these results, because they would prefer to see olive oil at the top. But this is not the case.”
Even those who choose to use olive oil, however, are probably better off than if they chose to cook with butter or lard.
LDL and coronary heart disease
LDL is a causal risk factor for the narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Also known as coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease is a major cause of illness and death around the globe.
When cholesterol sticks to the artery walls, it creates plaques that narrow the arteries. Sometimes this plaque creates a clot that keeps blood from flowing to the heart muscle.
Some of the symptoms of coronary heart disease include chest pain, shortness of breath and myocardial infarction. It can also lead to a full-on heart attack.
The statistics on coronary heart disease in the United States are staggering:
• It accounts for 23.5% of all deaths (2008 statistic from MedicalNewsToday)
• Approximately 735,000 men and women have a heart attack each year
• It accounts for about 370,000 deaths each year
