Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver. It helps build protective layers, called membranes, around the cells in your body. It also helps produce some hormones, as well as vitamin D and bile, which helps you digest food. In other words, despite its bad reputation, cholesterol plays an important role in your body.
Your body makes all the cholesterol you need. However, your diet can also contribute to cholesterol, causing your cholesterol levels to rise. Foods high in saturated fat, such as red meat, are primarily responsible for high cholesterol. When your cholesterol rises, so does your risk of heart disease. That’s why it’s so important to lower your cholesterol if it’s already high.
Cholesterol can be divided into two types. These are:
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol: When you have high levels of this “bad” cholesterol, the waxy, fatty substance can build up in the walls of your arteries and can clog them. This increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: This is the “good” cholesterol. It collects any excess LDL in your blood, takes it back to your liver, and then removes it from your body. HDL also reduces your risk of heart disease.
How can sugar affect your cholesterol levels?
The main culprit for high cholesterol is fat in your diet, especially saturated fat found in animal products. (That’s why your doctor may recommend limiting red meat if your cholesterol is high.)
When you eat too much sugar, your liver makes more LDL while lowering the amount of HDL in your body.
Excess calories from a high-sugar diet also lead to more of something called triglycerides, a type of blood fat that plays a role in your cholesterol health. It forms when you eat more calories than your body burns for energy.
Triglycerides are stored in fat cells and are released between meals when your body needs more energy.
Sugar also blocks an enzyme your body needs to break down triglycerides and get rid of them.
How to limit sugar in your diet?
- If you have a sweet tooth, cutting back on sugar is like telling a caffeine addict to give up their morning cup of coffee: It’s not easy. Focus on the positives. Remind yourself that your efforts will help protect your heart.
- Moderation is key, you don’t have to abstain from all sugary snacks.
- Be aware that sugar can appear under many different names on food labels, including some with a false health halo. In addition to regular sugar, look for brown rice syrup, honey, molasses, agave, and coconut sugar, as well as corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. All of these are added sugars, which are no different to regular white sugar for your body. Either way, the nutrition label will list total sugar as a separate item, regardless of its source. You should check labels even (or especially) on seemingly healthy foods, like protein bars and cereals. These can contain quite a bit of added sugar. If a product you’re eyeing turns out to be a sugar bomb, look for a low- or no-sugar alternative. Remember that sugary drinks are the most common source of added sugars, so if you drink a lot of soda or other sugary drinks, consider replacing them with some other options. You can swap a can of unsweetened mineral water for a can of soda or a sugary fruit-flavored drink.
- Limit the amount of 100% juice you drink, which, although it has no added sugar, still contains a lot of sugar (naturally) and calories per serving. For example, a cup of orange juice has 23 grams of sugar. To cut down on sugar and calories, try diluting your juice with a little water (plain or sparkling), or adding some fresh fruit to your water for flavor.
And above all, don’t give up if you occasionally fall back into old habits. Few people can avoid sweets perfectly, and you shouldn’t expect them to.
