Understanding Fat - Part 3 - The Cholesterol Myth: Why Eating Cholesterol Doesn’t Equal High Cholesterol

Dec 5, 2025

Hi I’m Sammy,

Your Good Farm in-house nutritionist. Here to bring you essential information on nutrition, diet and permaculture gardening - in a bite size, easy to understand, science-backed way.

Cholesterol has carried a sizeable reputation for decades — mostly an unfair one. Foods such as eggs, butter, and shellfish were once viewed as dangerous because of their cholesterol content. But modern research, along with a deeper understanding of human physiology, shows that dietary cholesterol has minimal impact on blood cholesterol for most people. More importantly, cholesterol itself is a vital molecule the body relies on to function properly.

What Cholesterol Actually Does in the Body

Cholesterol plays essential roles across virtually every system in the body:

Hormone production: Cholesterol is the raw material for steroid hormones including cortisol, oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Cell membranes: Every cell in your body uses cholesterol to form strong, flexible membranes that regulate communication and repair.
Vitamin D synthesis: UV light converts a cholesterol substrate in the skin into vitamin D, which is critical for immune and metabolic health.
Bile production: Cholesterol produces bile acids, enabling the digestion of fats and the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.
Cellular energy and antioxidant protection (CoQ10 connection):
Cholesterol shares its production pathway with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) — a molecule required for mitochondrial energy production and antioxidant defence. When your body manufactures cholesterol, it also produces CoQ10, meaning healthy cholesterol metabolism supports healthy energy output.

Sidebar: Cholesterol, CoQ10, and the Impact of Statins

Because cholesterol and CoQ10 are produced through the same biochemical pathway, anything that interferes with cholesterol synthesis also reduces CoQ10 production.

Statin medications, widely prescribed to lower cholesterol, work by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase — the enzyme that starts this pathway.
As a result:

Cholesterol production decreases
CoQ10 levels drop as well

This reduction in CoQ10 may contribute to:

Muscle aches, weakness, or fatigue
Lower mitochondrial energy production
Increased oxidative stress
Potential impacts on hormone production and cell repair

This is why some practitioners consider nutrient support — especially CoQ10 — beneficial for people whose cholesterol production is intentionally reduced.

Dietary Cholesterol vs. Blood Cholesterol

Research shows that:

Most people experience very little change in blood cholesterol from eating cholesterol-rich foods. The liver adjusts its own cholesterol production accordingly.
Hyper-responders — a small subset — may see changes in both LDL and HDL, often without an increase in cardiovascular risk.

Meanwhile, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, industrial seed oils, and trans fats have a far greater impact on blood lipids and heart disease risk than dietary cholesterol ever has.

A Functional Perspective on Cholesterol and Heart Health

A single cholesterol number doesn’t determine cardiovascular risk. A broader, more functional view looks at:

Triglyceride levels
Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio
LDL particle size and density (small, dense particles are more inflammatory and atherogenic than large, buoyant ones)
Apolipoproteins (ApoA1 & ApoB):

ApoB reflects the total number of atherogenic particles (including LDL, VLDL, and IDL) and is considered one of the most accurate markers of cardiovascular risk.
ApoA1 reflects the number of HDL particles, which help transport cholesterol away from tissues and support anti-inflammatory processes.
The ApoB:ApoA1 ratio provides a powerful insight into the balance between cholesterol delivery and cholesterol removal.

Inflammation markers (such as CRP)
Metabolic health and insulin sensitivity

Heart disease is driven far more by chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and oxidative stress than by the cholesterol content of whole foods.

How to Confidently Include Cholesterol-Rich Foods

Cholesterol-rich whole foods can fit comfortably within a nutrient-dense, whole-food diet.

Eggs: A nutrient-packed food to include liberally and every day.
Shellfish and organ meats: High in essential minerals, B vitamins, and healthy fats.
Butter and full-fat dairy: Beneficial when sourced from well-raised animals.
Limit highly processed foods: These disrupt cholesterol metabolism far more than whole-food sources of fat or cholesterol.

Pair cholesterol-containing foods with vegetables, fibre, high-quality proteins, and healthy fats to support digestion, nutrient absorption, and metabolic balance.

The Bottom Line

The idea that “eating cholesterol raises blood cholesterol” is largely a myth. Cholesterol is essential for hormone balance, cell structure, vitamin D production, digestion, and mitochondrial energy. For most people, whole-food sources of cholesterol are safe — and often beneficial — so please enjoy them liberally as part of a whole-food diet.

Coming Next

Article 4: Healthy Fats — The Ones You Want More Of
A practical guide to which fats to enjoy liberally, which to eat in moderation, which to limit — plus an easy reference guide to the smoke points of common cooking fats.

Disclaimer

This information is for general education only and is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your supplements or medications, or if you have any concerns about how certain foods may relate to your personal health needs or specific health conditions.

Missed the last two articles on Understanding Fats?

Part 1 is here

Part 2 is here

Understanding Fats Reference List

1. Saturated Fat & Cardiovascular Disease: Large Meta-Analyses

Siri-Tarino et al. (2010). Meta-analysis: saturated fat not associated with CHD, stroke, or CVD.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20071648/

Chowdhury et al. (2014). No clear evidence that saturated fat increases coronary risk.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24622692/

de Souza et al. (2015). Saturated fat not linked to CHD, stroke, or CVD mortality.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26116733/

Mozaffarian et al. (2010). Replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates does not reduce cardiovascular risk.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20685950/

2. Dietary Cholesterol & Updated Evidence

Berger et al. (2015). Dietary cholesterol has limited impact on blood cholesterol levels.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25756179/

3. Omega-6 : Omega-3 Ratio & Inflammation

Simopoulos (2002). The importance of balancing omega-6 and omega-3.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12442909/

Simopoulos (2016). Evolutionary perspective on inflammatory effects of an imbalanced ratio.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27083549/

Calder (2015). Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation regulation.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25369996/

Gibson et al. (2011). Adults often fail to convert ALA to EPA/DHA sufficiently.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21801711/

4. Seed Oils, Oxidation & Toxic Aldehydes

Grootveld et al. (2015). Heating seed oils generates harmful aldehydes.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26689749/

Basu (2016). Oxidised lipids contribute to inflammation and metabolic issues.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27152123/

Čížková et al. (2020). Industrial seed oils are highly prone to oxidation.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33043107/

Guillén & Goicoechea (2008). Toxic compounds form when PUFA-rich oils are heated.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18494450/

5. Evidence Supporting Traditional Fats & Whole-Food Fat Sources

Lawrence (2013). Re-evaluation of saturated fat guidelines.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23829055/

Rosqvist et al. (2014). Butter/saturated fat increases energy expenditure; stored differently than PUFA.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25062790/

Covas (2007). Health benefits of extra virgin olive oil polyphenols.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17616766/

Schwab et al. (2014). Whole-food fats improve lipid markers more than refined fats.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24668373/

6. Ancestral & Evolutionary Research on Dietary Fat

Eaton & Konner (1985). Composition of ancestral diets and their fat ratios.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3983501/

Cordain et al. (2005). Hunter–gatherer dietary patterns and natural fat intake.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16341227/