High cholesterol foods increase the risk of myocardial infarction

Will high cholesterol intake in the diet affect health? It was not very clear before. However, a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association recently, which included more than 180,000 veterans, found that dietary cholesterol intake was linearly correlated with the risk of myocardial infarction, that is, the higher the dietary cholesterol intake, the higher the risk of myocardial infarction.

High dietary cholesterol intake increases the risk of myocardial infarction

The current US dietary guidelines have removed the upper limit of cholesterol intake (300 mg/day), believing that dietary cholesterol has no clear correlation with cardiovascular disease. However, the latest study denied this conclusion.

In the study, during an average follow-up of 3.5 years, people with a dietary cholesterol intake of ≥300 mg/day had a 15% increased risk of myocardial infarction compared with those with a dietary cholesterol intake of <300 mg/day.

The risk of myocardial infarction in people with poor compliance to the DASH diet also increased by about 20%, and the risk of myocardial infarction in people with poor compliance to the DASH diet and high dietary cholesterol intake (≥300 mg/day) increased by 36%.

Multivariate analysis showed that there was a linear dose-response relationship between dietary cholesterol intake and myocardial infarction risk, and the risk of myocardial infarction increased by 5% for every 100 mg/day increase in cholesterol intake.

Sensitivity analysis showed that the relationship between dietary cholesterol intake and myocardial infarction risk was not affected by statin use.

The results of this study showed that dietary cholesterol has adverse effects on cardiovascular health. Adhering to the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet (low cholesterol intake) and reducing cholesterol intake by reducing meat and eggs can reduce the risk of myocardial infarction.

Eating more high-cholesterol foods is not good for health

Previous studies have shown that eating more high-cholesterol foods will increase the risk of dyslipidemia. The ratio of dietary cholesterol to blood cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is linearly related.

A study based on data from the U.S. Health and Nutrition Survey from 1999 to 2014 showed that the risk of death increased significantly when dietary cholesterol intake exceeded 250 mg per day. Among adults with a daily cholesterol intake of ≥250 mg, the risk of all-cause death increased by 7% for every 50 mg increase in dietary cholesterol intake.

An analysis of data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1991 to 2011 published by researchers found that adults with gradually increasing dietary cholesterol intake had significantly increased risks of hypertension and death, and those with consistently high dietary cholesterol intake (≥300 mg/day) also had an increased risk of death.

An analysis published by researchers suggests that the more dietary cholesterol you eat, the higher your risk of type 2 diabetes. Compared with those with the lowest dietary cholesterol intake, those with the highest dietary cholesterol intake had a 15% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The authors recommend that high-risk people with obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or a family history of diabetes should eat less cholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol intake should be controlled

The life-cycle dietary recommendations published in the New England Journal of Medicine in the United States pointed out that it is currently believed that following the guidelines and maintaining a healthy diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean protein, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils can keep dietary cholesterol intake low and will not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Recommendation: Eat 3 to 6 eggs per week, and be careful not to eat too much dietary cholesterol every day. A 9-year follow-up study of the Chinese Prospective Study of Chronic Diseases also found that eating about 5 eggs per week would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The American Heart Association issued scientific advice pointing out that a diet with less cholesterol is good for the heart. The suggestion points out that for older people with normal blood cholesterol, eating two eggs a day is acceptable under a healthy diet pattern. On the contrary, people with dyslipidemia, especially those with diabetes and at risk of heart failure, should eat less cholesterol-containing foods.