How is Cholesterol treated?

In our scoring model, we evaluate various components of a product to help you understand how it aligns with your health goals. One such component is cholesterol. While cholesterol intake is often scrutinized in dietary discussions, it's important to understand why we classify it as a neutral factor within our General Health model and for other health conditions as well.

Cholesterol and heart disease

Though it may seem counterintuitive, research has found that high cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Heart disease can be caused by lots of things (inflammation, oxidative stress, high blood pressure, and smoking to name a few), but cholesterol is not one of them.

So why does it get such a bad rap?

When people link cholesterol with heart disease, they are actually talking about lipoproteins, and in particular, low-density lipoproteins. These are the little structures that carry around cholesterol in your bloodstream and, when present in excess, can lead to plaque build-up in your arteries.

There's lots more to say here, so if you really want a deep dive, check out this Healthline article.

How to lower your cholesterol

When doctors recommend lowering your cholesterol, they are usually referring to your low-density lipoprotein or "blood cholesterol" levels -- not dietary cholesterol.

In most cases, high blood cholesterol can be lowered by making simple lifestyle changes like losing extra weight, getting adequate exercise, and eating a healthy diet.

In the Sesame app, we focus on limiting intake of trans and saturated fats, while increasing intake of dietary fiber and unsaturated fats. These factors have been shown to decrease blood cholesterol and manage heart disease.