Saturated fatty acids are the main dietary culprit in raising blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fatty acids, which are found mostly in foods from animals and some plants, are usually solid at room temperature. Foods from animals that have lots of saturated fat as well as contain dietary cholesterol include; beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses, and other dairy products made from whole milk. Plant foods that contain high amount of saturated fatty acids include coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids usually are liquid at room temperature and are found in vegetable oils. Safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean oils contain the highest amounts of polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats can help decrease high blood cholesterol levels when part of a healthful diet.

Monounsaturated fatty acids also are liquid at room temperature and are found in vegetable oils such as canola and olive oil. Like the poly’s, monounsaturated fats can help decrease blood cholesterol levels if part of a healthful diet.

Dietary cholesterol comes only from animal sources such as the fat in dairy products, egg yolks, meats, poultry and seafood. Vegetables oils, vegetable, fruits and grains do not contain cholesterol. Health professionals recommend that consumption of dietary cholesterol be limited to 300 mg. per day.

Cholesterol in your body is a soft, fat like substance found in all of your body’s cells. It is important to good health because it is used to form cell membranes, some hormones and other needed tissues. Cholesterol comes from two sources. It is made by your body, mostly in the liver. It is also found only in foods from animals. Even though the liver removes some dietary cholesterol from the body, dietary cholesterol can raise your blood cholesterol level, increasing your risk for heart disease. That is why the American Heart Association recommends limiting the cholesterol you eat to no more than 300 milligrams per day on average.

Blood lipoproteins carry cholesterol to and from the body’s cells. While there are many kinds of lipoproteins, high density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins are the ones most associated with heart disease risk.

Low density lipoproteins (LDL) is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. The liver uses some of it and some is used by tissues to form cell membranes. When a person has too much LDL in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of arteries feeding the heart and the brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick hard deposit that can clog arteries, causing a condition called atherosclerosis. If a clot forms where this plaque is, it can block blood flow to part of the heart muscle and cause a heart attack. If the clot blocks blood flow to the brain, a stroke results. This is why LDL is often called the “bad” cholesterol.

High density lipoproteins (HDL) carries about 1/3 to 1/4 of the blood cholesterol. The liver makes most HDL and releases it into the blood stream. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is passed from the body. Some experts also think that HDL removes excess cholesterol from atherosclerotic plaques, slowing their growth. HDL is called the “good” cholesterol because a high level of it seems to lower the risk of heart disease.

Triglycerides are the major form in which fat occurs in nature. They come from food and is also made in the body.

Sources:
The American Heart Association
American Dietetic Association