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Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers

4. Olive oil

Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends using about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day in place of other fats in your diet to get its heart-healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, you can saute vegetables in it, add it to a marinade, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. You can also use olive oil as a substitute for butter when basting meat or as a dip for bread. Olive oil is high in calories, so don't eat more than the recommended amount.

The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive oil are even greater if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, meaning the oil is less processed and contains more heart-healthy antioxidants. But keep in mind that "light" olive oils are usually more processed than extra-virgin or virgin olive oils and are lighter in color, not fat or calories.

5. Foods with added plant sterols or stanols

Foods are now available that have been fortified with sterols or stanols — substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol.

Margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks with added plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams — which equals about two 8-ounce (237-milliliter) servings of plant sterol-fortified orange juice a day.

Plant sterols or stanols in fortified foods don't appear to affect levels of triglycerides or of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol.

Other changes to your diet

For any of these foods to provide their benefit, you need to make other changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Cut back on the cholesterol and total fat — especially saturated and trans fats — that you eat. Saturated fats, like those in meat, full-fat dairy products and some oils, raise your total cholesterol. Trans fats, which are sometimes found in margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes, are particularly bad for your cholesterol levels. Trans fats raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol, and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol.

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  2. Flight I, et al. Cereal grains and legumes in the prevention of coronary heart disease and stroke: A review of the literature. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2006;60:1145.
  3. Fish 101. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3071550. Accessed March 24, 2010.
  4. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632. Accessed March 24, 2010.
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  7. Covas MI. Bioactive effects of olive oil phenolic compounds in humans: Reduction of heart disease factors and oxidative damage. Immunopharmacology. 2008;16:216.
  8. Covas MI, et al. The effect of virgin and refined olive oils on heart disease risk factors. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2006;145:333.
  9. Fassbender K, et al. Moderately elevated plant sterol levels are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk — The LASA study. Atherosclerosis. 2008;196:283.
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  11. Fat. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4582. Accessed March 24, 2010.
CL00002 May 7, 2010

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