What fats make your 'bad' cholesterol better?
Effects of dietary fatty acids and carbohydrates on the ratio of serum total to HDL cholesterol and on serum lipids and apolipoproteins: a meta-analysis of 60 controlled trials.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some fats raise your good cholesterol more than your bad cholesterol, which is good for your heart. Replacing bad fats with good ones helps more than swapping them for carbs.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 530 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some fats raise your good cholesterol more than your bad cholesterol, which is good for your heart. Replacing bad fats with good ones helps more than swapping them for carbs.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 530 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Publication
Authors
Mensink RP, Zock PL, Kester AD, Katan MB
Related Content
Claims (6)
Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids increases circulating levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in humans through upregulation of hepatic cholesterol synthesis and reduced LDL receptor expression.
Getting rid of artificial trans fats (like in fried foods) and replacing them with healthy oils or whole grains lowers bad cholesterol ratios more than just cutting butter or cheese.
Some saturated fats like those in meat and dairy don’t change the good-to-bad cholesterol ratio much, but stearic acid (found in cocoa and beef fat) may slightly improve it.
Swapping bad fats like butter for healthier fats like olive oil lowers the ratio of bad cholesterol to good cholesterol, which is good for your heart.
Coconut oil (which has lauric acid) raises both good and bad cholesterol, but because it raises good cholesterol more, the overall ratio gets better.