The rationale behind the use of diet and dietary ingredients to lower blood cholesterol levels

Abstract High blood cholesterol levels are one of the major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Reducing dietary fat intake or increasing dietary fiber intake can decrease blood cholesterol levels and, hence, susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Reducing dietary cholesterol intake will also influence blood cholesterol levels, but not as effectively as reducing fat intake. However, dietary modification alone is not sufficient for all people. Nor are optimum dietary cholesterol levels a simple matter of ‘the lower the better’; extremely low blood cholesterol levels also appear to be harmful. Whether and how best to lower blood cholesterol levels remains a subject of intense discussion.