Cholesterol

Scientific studies (review articles) on the relationship between cholesterol and disease prevention:
One swallow does not make a summer. A famous Dutch saying that could not be any more obvious. Just because one single scientific study about a certain topic makes certain claims, it does not necessarily mean it is true. On the other hand, a review article (a collection of scientific studies on a certain topic) of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

One swallow does not make a summer. A famous Dutch saying that could not be any more obvious. Just because one single scientific study about a certain topic makes certain claims, it does not necessarily mean it is true. On the other hand, a review article (a collection of scientific studies on a certain topic) of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

1. 500 mL/d orange juice consumption causally reduce bad cholesterol
2. 25-200 g/d peanuts may causally reduce total cholesterol levels
3. Purified anthocyanin supplements reduce cardiovascular risk
4. Low-carbohydrate diets decrease LDL particle number
5. Brassica vegetables causally reduce total cholesterol
6. Onion causally increases good cholesterol
7. Vitamin C supplements improve triglyceride and cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
8. Spirulina supplementation reduces bad cholesterol among type 2 diabetes patients
9. High saturated fat increases liver cancer
10. Daily 100 mg cholesterol increase gestational diabetes mellitus
11. 0.5 to 6 g/d taurine supplementation reduces total cholesterol and triglyceride in patients with liver dysregulation
12. >12 mg/day astaxanthin consumption causally reduce CRP levels
13. 3 cups/d coffee is essential for the prevention of dyslipidemia 
14. Fat, cholesterol and vitamin A increase ovarian cancer
15. Tomato consumption reduces bad cholesterol levels
16. Strawberry consumption reduces C-reactive protein levels
17. LDL cholesterol levels >121 mg/dL increase Alzheimer's disease
18. LDL cholesterol-lowering treatment reduce risk of major vascular events
19. Middle-aged people with diabetes are at higher risk of developing dementia
20. Strength training decreases inflammation in adults
21. Grape products reduce bad cholesterol in adults
22. 150 mg/day quercetin supplementation reduces LDL-cholesterol in obese people
23. Quercetin supplements decrease triglycerides levels
24. Diet with medium-chain saturated fatty acids leads to higher HDL cholesterol
25. Peanut consumption more than 12 weeks increases good cholesterol
26. Garlic increases good cholesterol in diabetic patients
27. A high dietary cholesterol intake might increase lung cancer risk
28. Rice bran oil causally decreases cholesterol and triglyceride levels in adults
29. Olive oil consumption decreases LDL cholesterol and triglyceride less than other plant oils
30. Resveratrol supplements do not reduce LDL-cholesterol levels
31. A low-fat diet reduces cholesterol level in overweight or obese people
32. A diet with 10 En% saturated fat reduces cholesterol and blood pressure in children
33. A low GI diet decreases LDL-cholesterol
34. Green tea decreases LDL cholesterol level in overweight or obese people
35. Magnesium supplementation reduces risk of cardiovascular disease among type 2 diabetes
36. HDL cholesterol level under 2.33 mmol/L reduces cardiovascular disease mortality
37. Vitamin B3 supplementation increases good cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
38. Niacin supplementation reduces LDL cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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• Only 25 percent of body’s cholesterol comes from the foods.
• Avoiding dietary cholesterol is not the solution for a high cholesterol level but dietary fat intake, especially saturated fat.
• Persons with a high cholesterol level should follow a diet with a maximum of 30 En% fat, of which a maximum of 7 En% saturated fat.
  A maximum of 7 En% saturated fat means that the total amounts of saturated fat make up for a maximum of 7% of the total kcal of the diet.
• Cholesterol is only found in animal products.
• The American Heart Association recommends no more than 300 milligrams cholesterol per day for healthy populations and no more than 200 mg for people with a high cholesterol level.
• Cholesterol performs 3 main functions in humans:
  1. It helps make the outer coating of cells.
  2. It makes up the bile acids that work to digest food in the intestine.
  3. It allows the body to make Vitamin D and hormones, like estrogen in women and testosterone in men.
• The brain uses up to 25 percent of the body's total cholesterol in order to function.
• The two main types of cholesterol important in a discussion on heart disease are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
  LDL is called bad cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the heart arteries.
  HDL is called good cholesterol because it helps remove cholesterol from the arteries.
• Low levels of HDL and high levels of LDL have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.  
• Cardiac risk ratio = total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol.
  A cardiac risk ratio greater than 7 is considered a warning.
• Statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver.
  The enzyme HMG-CoA reductase also plays a central role in the production of coenzyme Q10.
• The liver makes about a gram of cholesterol every day. This is generally sufficient to meet all of the body's required demands.
• Fat intake is much more important in determining cholesterol levels because it stimulates bile production which in turn stimulates cholesterol production.
• The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) concludes that a daily intake of 3 g (range: 2.6 g to 3.4 g) plant sterols/stanols in food matrices decreases LDL-cholesterol by 11.3% (95% CI = 10.0-12.5) and that the minimum duration required to achieve the maximum effect of plant sterols and stanols on LDL-cholesterol lowering is two to three weeks.