BAD CHOLESTEROL VS GOOD CHOLESTEROL

QUESTION: When the cholesterol level in foods is listed, what type of cholesterol is it? - H.K.

ANSWER: Many consumers are confused about the differences between the cholesterol we get checked for at the doctor's office and the cholesterol found in foods such as butter or eggs. The truth is that there is only a "weak" relationship bewteen dietary cholesterol, blood cholesterol and the risk for heart disease, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. A Harvard study of 80,000 nurses showed that increasing dietary cholesterol intake by the equivalent of about one egg a day for every 1,000 calories in the diet didn't increase risk for heart disease. At the same time, low-cholesterol foods, such as stick margarine, are far less healthy than once thought because of their high content of trans fat, which rases so-called "bad" blood cholesterol. That doesn't mean people should overeat high-cholesterol foods, but it isn't the culprit in heart disease experts once thought it was.

The most improtant factor in blood cholesterol is the mix of dietary fat, not dietary cholesterol. Trans fats, found in foods containing hydrogenated olils, has been shown to raise total cholesterol Saturated fats, found in whole milk, red meat and cheese, can raise bad cholesterol, but also can improve good cholesterol. Unsaturated fats, such as those found in vegetable oils and nuts, can reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. Ad detailed report on these issues can be found on Harvard's Nutrition Source Web site at www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource.

Email questions to Tara Parker-Pope at healthjournal@wsj.com