MALAYSIAN cuisine is full of flavour but many popular dishes contain ingredients high in cholesterol.
From prawns and squid to egg yolks and roti canai, high-cholesterol foods are a staple on many local menus.
Is it true that eating these foods will drastically raise your cholesterol levels and ultimately increase your risk of heart disease?
Verdict:
FALSE
Eating food high in cholesterol does not have a straightforward effect on cholesterol levels for most people.
Research over the past decade has shown that, for the majority of healthy adults, dietary cholesterol has only a modest impact on blood cholesterol.
The main factors that raise cholesterol are saturated fats and trans fats, often found in fatty meats, processed foods and traditional dishes made with coconut milk.
The human body, especially the liver, produces cholesterol naturally and can adjust its production depending on how much cholesterol is consumed through food.
This means that when you eat more cholesterol, your body compensates by making less, keeping your blood cholesterol within a normal range for most people.
There is, however, a small group of people known as "hyper-responders" who experience a greater rise in blood cholesterol when they eat foods high in cholesterol.
Even then, the increase usually affects both LDL ("bad") cholesterol and HDL ("good") cholesterol, so the overall risk may not rise in the way it would if only LDL increased.
For most Malaysians, saturated fat and trans fat are far, far more influential in raising cholesterol levels than the amount of cholesterol ingested.
Health authorities, including the Health Ministry and even the American Heart Association, now recommend focusing on reducing saturated and trans fats rather than strictly avoiding cholesterol-rich foods.
Studies have show that dietary cholesterol has a relatively small effect on blood cholesterol compared to the effect of saturated fat.
For example, eggs are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, and studies have shown that moderate egg consumption does not significantly affect cholesterol levels or heart disease risk in healthy people.
It is still important for Malaysians to make healthy choices, especially if they have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease.
A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, along with regular exercise and not smoking, is key to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
Traditional foods can still be enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle.
In summary, for most Malaysians, eating foods high in cholesterol does not automatically increase cholesterol levels or heart disease risk.
The focus should be on limiting saturated and trans fats, not avoiding all foods that contain cholesterol.
Saying that, don't base make dietary decisions that could impact your health based on one story you read on the Internet, your doctor should be your first port of call when it comes to such decisions.
References:
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
2. https://www2.moh.gov.my/moh/
3. https://nutritionsource.hsph.
