9 Foods That Do Not Raise Cholesterol

Overview More than 98 million Americans age 20 and up have cholesterol levels over the healthy maximum of 200 milligrams per deciliter, according to a 2013 American Heart Association report. If you’re one of the 32 million people with high cholesterol -- a reading of 240 milligrams per deciliter or higher -- your risks for heart disease, heart attack and stroke are hefty. In addition to avoiding smoking and staying active, eating a healthy diet can help keep your cholesterol levels and overall wellness in-check. Read on to find out 9 foods that do not raise cholesterol and are perfectly acceptable as part of a healthy diet – some might surprise you!

1. Eggs 
Rich in dietary cholesterol, eggs have long been a vilified food when it comes to heart health. Depending on the size of the egg, one yolk can contain up to 185 milligrams of cholesterol, according to the USDA Nutrient Database. “It is not the cholesterol in the egg yolk that is the problem,” said Barry Sears, a biochemist and president of the Inflammation Research Foundation in Marblehead, Massachusetts, “but the high levels of arachidonic acid that potentially increase inflammation in the arterial wall.” Americans tend to overconsume essential omega-6 fats like arachidonic acid and lack essential omega-3s. To reap eggs’ nutritional benefits, such as vitamins B-12 and D, without damaging your cardiovascular health, the Harvard School of Public Health recommends limiting your intake to one egg daily if you have heart disease or diabetes.

2. Olive
Oil Because cholesterol is a fat produced by your liver and found in various foods, avoiding fat-rich foods if you're prone to high cholesterol may seem practical, but – keep in mind -- not all dietary fats or sources are nutritionally equal. As a solid fat source, butter may increase your cholesterol levels, according to biochemist and Inflammation Research Foundation President Barry Sears, because “bad” LDL cholesterol requires fluidity. Sears recommends a heart-healthy alternative: “Olive oil would be an excellent choice.”

3. Nuts
An analysis of 25 nut consumption studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2010 showed that daily nut intake can lower overall cholesterol and triglyceride levels and improve the ratio of “bad” LDL cholesterol and “good” HDL cholesterol. “Most nuts are low in saturated and omega-6 fats, and high in polyphenols,” biochemist Sears says. “That's a winning combination to reduce inflammation.” He recommends aiming for about 1 ounce per day, which is equal to about 24 almonds, 35 peanuts or 18 medium-size cashews.

4. Yogurt 
In a study published in the European Heart Journal in 2013, the dairy intake and heart disease risk factors of 3,078 adults ages 35 to 64 were analyzed. Participants who consumed the highest amount of low-fat dairy products showed the lowest risks for heart disease. Additionally, no significant link was drawn between high-fat dairy intake and heart disease markers. “Dairy products are an important part of our nutritional health,” said Dr. Tiffany Sizemore-Ruiz, a concierge medicine physician, internist and cardiology fellow who specializes in diet, nutrition and preventative medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “They are full of calcium, protein and a multitude of vitamins." For maximum benefits without excess saturated fat and calories, she recommends opting for low-fat and part-skim varieties of yogurt, cheese and milk.

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Can Hot Spicy Food Cause a Heart Attack?

A heart attack is a scary occurrence that can impact your health and diet for the rest of your life. A healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables and fiber can help lower your risk for a heart attack, but you may be wondering if certain foods, such as hot, spicy foods, can cause a heart attack. When you are able to pinpoint the causes of a heart attack, you will also be able to modify your diet accordingly to lower your risk and maintain good health.

Symptoms

A heart attack occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to your heart, which most commonly causes pressure and chest pain, two symptoms that can also be associated with indigestion or heartburn from hot and spicy foods. Nausea and vomiting, two additional heart attack symptoms, may also occur with heartburn or indigestion from a spicy meal. If you are truly having a heart attack, you may also experience pain that radiates to your shoulder, jaw or upper arms, and you may also suffer from shortness of breath, sweating and fainting, all of which are symptoms that are not usually associated with heartburn or indigestion from spicy foods. Women may also experience abdominal pain, clamminess, dizziness or fatigue with a heart attack, also symptoms that do not usually accompany indigestion.

Causes

Because a heart attack is caused by a blocked artery, a high-cholesterol diet can be one dietary cause. When you eat too much cholesterol, it begins to stick to your artery walls, which narrows them and makes it more difficult for blood to pass through normally. In this way, diet does play a role in how likely you are to have a heart attack, but hot and spicy foods alone cannot cause a heart attack. If you enjoy spicy food that is also deep-fried or full of saturated fat, they may contribute to your risk of heart disease, but the hot and spicy food alone is not a cause of a heart attack.

Spicy Food

Because you may experience heartburn or indigestion from eating spicy foods, you may confuse your symptoms with those of a heart attack. Spicy foods can cause chest pain, nausea, vomiting and heartburn, which may cause you to wonder if you are having a heart attack. If you experience any of these following a spicy meal, they are likely to ease after a few hours. If the symptoms continue or get worse, call your doctor right away because coincidences happen and you might be having a heart attack despite what you ate right before.

Recommendations

If you find that you have indigestion or heartburn following a spicy meal, reduce how much of these foods you eat or eliminate them from your diet completely. See your doctor on a regular basis to discuss ways to treat indigestion and heartburn from spicy foods if you do not want to give them up. This may give you peace of mind by treating or preventing the symptoms that mimic a heart attack. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat and low in sweets, fatty red meat and full-fat dairy foods as well. A nutritious and well-balanced diet is one of the most important ways to lower your heart attack risk. Exercise is essential as well.

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Phthalates -- chemicals widely found in plastics and processed food -- linked to elevated blood pressure in children and teens

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and -- according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- the bodies of most Americans. Once perceived as harmless, phthalates have come under increasing scrutiny. A growing collection of evidence suggests dietary exposure to phthalates (which can leech from packaging and mix with food) may cause significant metabolic and hormonal abnormalities, especially during early development.

Now, new research published this Wednesday in The Journal of Pediatrics suggests that certain types of phthalates could pose another risk to children: compromised heart health. Drawing on data from a nationally representative survey of nearly 3,000 children and teens, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Washington and Penn State University School of Medicine, have documented for the first time a connection between dietary exposure to DEHP (di-2-ethyhexylphthalate), a common class of phthalate widely used in industrial food production, and elevated systolic blood pressure, a measure of pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts.

"Phthalates can inhibit the function of cardiac cells and cause oxidative stress that compromises the health of arteries. But no one has explored the relationship between phthalate exposure and heart health in children" says lead author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, associate professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at NYU Langone Medical Center. "We wanted to examine the link between phthalates and childhood blood pressure in particular given the increase in elevated blood pressure in children and the increasing evidence implicating exposure to environmental exposures in early development of disease."

Hypertension is clinically defined as a systolic blood-pressure reading above 140 mm Hg. It's most common in people over 50 years old, although the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent among children owing to the global obesity epidemic. Recent national surveys indicate that 14 percent of American adolescents now have pre-hypertension or hypertension. "Obesity is driving the trend but our findings suggest that environmental factors may also be a part of the problem," says Dr. Trasande. "This is important because phthalate exposure can be controlled through regulatory and behavioral interventions."

Researchers from NYU School of Medicine, the University of Washington and Penn State University School of Medicine examined six years of data from a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population administered by the National Centers for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Phthalates were measured in urine samples using standard analysis techniques. Controlling for a number of potential confounders, including race, socioeconomic status, body mass index, caloric intake and activity levels, the researchers found that every three-fold increase in the level of breakdown products of DEHP in urine correlated with a roughly one-millimeter mercury increase in a child's blood pressure. "That increment may seem very modest at an individual level, but on a population level such shifts in blood pressure can increase the number of children with elevated blood pressure substantially," says Dr. Trasande. "Our study underscores the need for policy initiatives that limit exposure to disruptive environmental chemicals, in combination with dietary and behavioral interventions geared toward protecting cardiovascular health."

This research was made possible through the generous support of KiDs of NYU Langone, an organization of parents, physicians, and friends that supports children's health services at New York University Langone Medical Center through philanthropy, community service, and advocacy.

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Some Fish Oil Supplements Fishy on Quality

A new test of 15 top-selling fish oil supplements by Consumer Reports shows five fell a bit short on quality.

The good news is all 15 of the fish oil supplements evaluated by an independent lab contained their labeled amount of EPA and DHA, omega-3 fatty acids that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

But four of the fish oil supplements tested contained trace levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

“In our recent tests, we found that some were not as pure as one might think,” Ronni Sandroff, editorial director of Health and Family at Consumer Reports, says in a news release.  

Another supplement’s coating failed to meet U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP, a non-government pharmaceutical standards-setting organization) standards for disintegration.

PCBs in Fish Oil Supplements

None of the fish oil supplements contained contaminants, such as lead, mercury, or PCBs, that exceeded levels set by USP or the European Union.

However, four of the fish oil supplements contained total PCBs in levels that would require warning labels under California’s Proposition 65, a consumer right-to-know law.

PCBs are part of a group of man-made organic chemicals that were widely used in industry until they were banned in 1979 after they were linked to cancer.

Although no longer in use, the chemicals accumulate in the environment and are sometimes found in fish and plants that have been exposed to contaminated water or soil.

Researchers say most of the tested fish oil supplements claimed to be “purified” or “free” of PCBs and other contaminants. But those claims have no specific regulatory definition, according to the FDA.

Dietary supplement companies base these claims on self-regulatory or European standards. For example, the USP limit on PCBs is 2 parts per trillion per gram.

The report does not say what levels of PCBs were found in the fish oil supplements. Researchers say the total PCB amounts in four brands (CVS Natural, GNC Triple Organic, Nature’s Bounty Odorless, and Sundown Naturals) were below the USP safe limit but within the range that would require a warning label under California’s Proposition 65, 90 parts per billion.

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