How much saturated fat does the Directorate of Health recommend?

Less than 10% of energy intake should come from saturated fat, and some of it should be replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Can I eat eggs if I want to keep my cholesterol down?

Egg yolks contain a lot of cholesterol, but eggs have relatively little saturated fat and provide high-quality protein plus vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, iodine and choline. For most people, a moderate intake of eggs can be part of a healthy and varied diet.

Which foods contain soluble fibre that lowers LDL?

Oats, barley, legumes, fruits and certain vegetables. Beans, lentils and peas are also good sources of soluble fibre.

What practical changes can help prevent high LDL?

Use rapeseed or olive oil instead of butter, eat fish several times a week, choose oats or other whole grain products for some meals, let legumes replace part of the meat in stews, and add nuts and seeds. Regular physical activity and a healthy body weight also contribute.

Foods That Can Lower or Raise Cholesterol | Hardworkout Magazine

Key takeaways

- Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol partly by reducing the liver's uptake of LDL from the blood, and the Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends it make up less than 10% of energy intake.

- Replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat from olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds, avocado and fish can help lower LDL cholesterol.

- Beta-glucan from oats and barley forms a gel in the intestine that increases excretion of bile acids, forcing the liver to use more cholesterol from the blood to make new ones.

- Eggs are high in cholesterol but relatively low in saturated fat, and for most people a moderate intake fits into a healthy, varied diet.

- The overall pattern of eating over time influences cholesterol levels more than any single food.

Why is high cholesterol so often discovered by chance?

High cholesterol usually has no symptoms and is often detected only during general blood tests. Therefore, it is wise to consider cholesterol levels before they become too high. Diet and physical activity are among the factors you can influence, and habits over time matter for development.

Which foods raise and which lower LDL cholesterol?

The foods you eat regularly can affect cholesterol levels in different ways. Some can help keep LDL cholesterol at a favorable level, while others should be limited.

In summary about diet and cholesterol

Saturated fat can increase LDL cholesterol and is found in butter, fatty dairy products, fatty meats, and coconut fat.

Unsaturated fat from sources such as plant oils, nuts, seeds, avocado, and fish can help lower LDL when it replaces saturated fat.

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Fatty fish contains the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which can help reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood.

Soluble fiber from oats, barley, legumes, fruits, and vegetables can help lower LDL cholesterol.

Beta-glucan from oats and barley helps more bile acids to be excreted, so the liver uses more cholesterol to produce new bile acids.

Dietary cholesterol affects LDL differently from person to person, while saturated fat usually has a greater impact.

Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol but relatively little saturated fat and can, for most people, be part of a healthy and varied diet.

The overall diet has a greater impact on cholesterol levels than a single food item.

What is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fat substance that the body needs to produce hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D.

Because cholesterol cannot be transported freely in the blood, it is mainly carried in lipoproteins such as LDL and HDL.

A high level of LDL cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. LDL particles can deposit in the blood vessel wall and contribute to plaque formation, while HDL helps transport cholesterol from tissues back to the liver.

When assessing the impact of diet on cholesterol, it is primarily LDL that one wants to reduce.

Saturated fat can increase LDL

Saturated fat has a significant impact on LDL cholesterol, and a high intake can lead to increased levels in the blood.

One reason is that this type of fat can reduce the liver's uptake of LDL from the blood.

Butter, cream, fatty cheeses, fatty meats, and coconut fat contain a lot of saturated fat. However, the amount varies significantly between different products, and lean varieties of meat and dairy products contain less.

How much saturated fat is too much?

It is not necessary to completely avoid saturated fat. The Directorate of Health recommends that saturated fat should make up less than 10% of energy intake. Some of the saturated fat should be replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Trans fats can also increase LDL while simultaneously reducing HDL cholesterol. However, industrially produced trans fats are strictly regulated and are found in very small amounts in Norwegian foods today.

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Unsaturated fat is a better choice

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, and fish.

When unsaturated fat replaces saturated fat in the diet, it can help reduce LDL cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fat includes both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 is found in plant oils, nuts, and seeds and can help lower LDL. Rapeseed oil, walnuts, and certain seeds also contain the omega-3 fatty acid ALA.

Fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, and herring contain both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and are particularly rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA can also help reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood.

![Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats fatty acids cholesterol](https://hardworkout.no/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ChatGPT-Image-18.-juni-2026-105119.png)

Fiber can lower cholesterol

Oats, barley, legumes, fruits, and certain vegetables contain soluble fiber that can help reduce LDL cholesterol.

Beta-glucan is a type of soluble fiber found in particularly large amounts in oats and barley. Regular intake of beta-glucan can help lower LDL.

How does beta-glucan actually lower LDL?

In the intestine, beta-glucan binds water and forms a gel-like mass. This helps more bile acids to be excreted with feces. The liver must then use more cholesterol from the blood to produce new bile acids.

Beans, lentils, and peas are also good sources of soluble fiber and make it easier to increase fiber intake through the diet.

Cholesterol in food

Animal foods such as eggs, meat, dairy products, and shellfish are sources of cholesterol in the diet.

The amount we get from food can affect LDL, but for most people, the intake of saturated fat is more significant.

The body produces cholesterol itself and can to some extent reduce this production when we get more from food. This regulation varies from person to person, and some experience a greater increase in LDL with a high intake of cholesterol than others.

Do eggs raise your cholesterol?

Eggs illustrate why it is important to look at more than just cholesterol content alone.

Egg yolks contain a lot of cholesterol, but eggs have relatively little saturated fat and also provide high-quality protein and nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, iodine, and choline. For most people, a moderate intake of eggs can therefore be part of a healthy and varied diet.

Who needs to watch dietary cholesterol most closely?

With high LDL cholesterol, it may be necessary to be more mindful of both cholesterol and saturated fat in food.

This is especially true in cases of familial hypercholesterolemia or high risk for cardiovascular disease.

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