Can Diet Alone Get Rid of Cholesterol and Saturated Fat?

[The_Professional]

Let's say I had 2 slices of regular pizza, and on the following week after that I had 3 pieces of extra crispy from kfc, then the week after I had some tacos.

How long does it take for the body to get rid of the cholesterol and saturated fat? I read that it would take at least three months, is this true? Is there a much efficient, faster way of doing so?

 

[Monique]

What I heard is that excess cholesterol is secreted by the bile ducts back into the gastrointestinal tract (gastrohepatic cycle) in healthy individuals. The other day I heard that ginger helps digestion by stimulating the bile secretion, I'm not sure about the validity of that.

The best way to get rid of cholesterol is by not eating it

 

[The_Professional]

What I heard is that excess cholesterol is secreted by the bile ducts back into the gastrointestinal tract (gastrohepatic cycle) in healthy individuals. The other day I heard that ginger helps digestion by stimulating the bile secretion, I'm not sure about the validity of that.

The best way to get rid of cholesterol is by not eating it

But it's oh so hard m'lady

 

[Moonbear]

Let's say I had 2 slices of regular pizza, and on the following week after that I had 3 pieces of extra crispy from kfc, then the week after I had some tacos.

Cholesterol won't be your main problem if you're only eating once a week.

Assuming you're eating healthy food in between the ocassional take-out food, this doesn't sound like it would really be a problem. Remember, you need some cholesterol to stay healthy, so you never want to cut out all cholesterol from your diet, just the excess.

I don't think the clearance rate is too slow unless you have a condition that hinders cholesterol clearance.

This article is free to access:
Sudhop T, Sahin Y, Lindenthal B, Hahn C, Luers C, Berthold HK, von Bergmann K. Comparison of the hepatic clearances of campesterol, sitosterol, and cholesterol in healthy subjects suggests that efflux transporters controlling intestinal sterol absorption also regulate biliary secretion. Gut. 2002 Dec;51(6):860-3.

http://gut.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/51/6/860

 

[hitssquad]

Cholesterol an essential dietary nutrient?

you need some cholesterol to stay healthy, so you never want to cut out all cholesterol from your diet

Humans do not require any dietary cholesterol:
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/325/7095/34042.html?d=dmtContent

• Cholesterol is essential for human life. It builds and repairs cells, it is used to produce sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, it is converted to bile acids to help you digest food and it is found in large amounts in brain and nerve tissue. The liver produces enough cholesterol to satisfy these functions.

 

[Phobos]

Not sure how much stock to put into this, but some people tell me to eat a fiber-rich food along with cholesterol-laden food. That way, the fiber helps prevent digestion of the cholesterol/fat/etc (i.e., that stuff sorbs to the undigestable fiber). Anyone with any insights into that claim?

 

[hitssquad]

Eating healthy but retaining high cholesterol condition

The best way to get rid of cholesterol is by not eating it

The human liver produces cholesterol, Monique. There are people who have high/poor cholesterol values and who consume virtually none:
http://www.google.com/search?q="my+cholesterol+is+still+high"

• Q: I really do follow a good, diet and exercise regularly, but my cholesterol is still high. Why?
  
  
• Even though most people on the diet drop their cholesterol levels, it wasn't true for me. My cholesterol is still high.
  
  
• I'm trying to lower my cholesterol through diet, losing weight, and excersise. I've lost 17 pounds already, but I found out my cholesterol is still high.
  
  
• I've been eating healthy and exercising, but my cholesterol is still high.

 

[Phobos]

True, but the more fatty/excess food a person eats, the more cholesterol the body produces. (i.e., those people would be even worse off if they ate fried food every night)

And then there's the whole HDL/LDL thing...a higher HDL ("good cholesterol") helps reduce LDL ("bad cholesterol").