Cholesterol tracking in Myfitnesspal

vincentbayliss

I have been on a journey to lower my cholesterol levels for some time now. I have been able to, in the past, successfully reduce it with diet but it's a bit of a roller coaster ride. Recently, I started logging everything I consumed in the Myfitnesspal app (free version for now). A question I have on this is that I have noticed that the two measures of "Cholesterol " and "Trans Fats" in the Nutrients section for what I have eaten on a day never regester anything. So, either I'm doing really well or it's part of the paid version (and hence, I could be doing really bad and not know it). Can somebody clear this up for me?

Thanks very much,
Vincent...

Lietchi

Well, it's probably neither of the possibilities you've given:
MFP's food database is mostly crowdsourced, which means nutritional info isn't necessarily correct or complete.
So the database entries you've used may not have been correct.
Depending on the type of nutrient, the labels sometimes don't show the relevant nutritional info at all, which makes it impossible to fully enter all the nutritional info in MFP.

If you're using packaged foods, you need to crosscheck the entry with the nutritional label. For whole foods, you could use the USDA database to crosscheck.

Premium isn't a factor, you get the same food database and tracking.

PS: I'd be more worried about saturated fat intake than actual consumed cholesterol, if I had blood cholesterol issues

cwolfman13

vincentbayliss wrote: »

I have been on a journey to lower my cholesterol levels for some time now. I have been able to, in the past, successfully reduce it with diet but it's a bit of a roller coaster ride. Recently, I started logging everything I consumed in the Myfitnesspal app (free version for now). A question I have on this is that I have noticed that the two measures of "Cholesterol " and "Trans Fats" in the Nutrients section for what I have eaten on a day never regester anything. So, either I'm doing really well or it's part of the paid version (and hence, I could be doing really bad and not know it). Can somebody clear this up for me?

Thanks very much,
Vincent...

Premium and free versions use the same database. The database is crowd sourced, so as mentioned, entries can be incomplete...this is particularly true with nutrients that aren't required by the FDA to be on food labels or with whole food goods where there is no food label present.

Trans fats really shouldn't be an issue since they were banned in the US...there may be trace amounts of naturally occurring trans fats in certain foods, but it's negligible and barely measurable. Where cholesterol is concerned, modern research within the last 20 years or so indicates that dietary intake of cholesterol has very little bearing on blood serum levels. For whatever reason, it seems that most of the world has known this for awhile as the US is the only country where dietary cholesterol is required to be put on food levels. Basically, your liver makes most of the cholesterol in your body. When you consume more dietary cholesterol your liver makes less...when you eat less dietary cholesterol your liver makes more.

As someone who has had to watch my cholesterol, limiting saturated fats (though some amount is important to hormone regulation), increased activity, and losing weight are the most contributory factors to reducing and maintaining good cholesterol levels. After that would be consumption of healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fats, OMEGA 3s, and limiting refined sugar.

neanderthin

cwolfman13 wrote: »

vincentbayliss wrote: »

I have been on a journey to lower my cholesterol levels for some time now. I have been able to, in the past, successfully reduce it with diet but it's a bit of a roller coaster ride. Recently, I started logging everything I consumed in the Myfitnesspal app (free version for now). A question I have on this is that I have noticed that the two measures of "Cholesterol " and "Trans Fats" in the Nutrients section for what I have eaten on a day never regester anything. So, either I'm doing really well or it's part of the paid version (and hence, I could be doing really bad and not know it). Can somebody clear this up for me?

Thanks very much,
Vincent...

Premium and free versions use the same database. The database is crowd sourced, so as mentioned, entries can be incomplete...this is particularly true with nutrients that aren't required by the FDA to be on food labels or with whole food goods where there is no food label present.

Trans fats really shouldn't be an issue since they were banned in the US...there may be trace amounts of naturally occurring trans fats in certain foods, but it's negligible and barely measurable. Where cholesterol is concerned, modern research within the last 20 years or so indicates that dietary intake of cholesterol has very little bearing on blood serum levels. For whatever reason, it seems that most of the world has known this for awhile as the US is the only country where dietary cholesterol is required to be put on food levels. Basically, your liver makes most of the cholesterol in your body. When you consume more dietary cholesterol your liver makes less...when you eat less dietary cholesterol your liver makes more.

As someone who has had to watch my cholesterol, limiting saturated fats (though some amount is important to hormone regulation), increased activity, and losing weight are the most contributory factors to reducing and maintaining good cholesterol levels. After that would be consumption of healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fats, OMEGA 3s, and limiting refined sugar.

Good info wolfman imo.

Yeah, naturally occurring trans fats actually have names "conjugated linoleic acid" and referred to as "CLA' in medical literature which is found in the meat and "vaccenic acid" found in the milk, both produced in ruminant animals mostly from the microbes in the cows microbiome and shows up in the meat and milk and are what's called cis configurations, where the atoms are arranged on the same side of the fatty acid chain, which is normal and there is some data that it's helpful for certain metabolic processes.

When man made these partially hydrogenated polyunsaturated oils are referred to as a trans configurations and the atoms are actually on the opposite side of the fatty acid chain and in there lies the basic health problem, it tries to find a partner to hook up with but that just never happens. The trans configuration basically mimic the cis configuration and these atoms are taken in by our cell receptors like a trojan horse where they're recognized but once absorbed it effects the plasticity (flexibility) of cell membranes and manufactures free radicals that can effect DNA and cause some mutations which can be found and contribute in a host of diseases, basically we want to reduce free radicals as much as we can because it happens anyway, but it's something we shouldn't consciously do by consuming them.

The whole idea of trans fats being banned is confusing imo. I get that they should and they've said that they have but then there's the issue with the "cis" or natural trans fats and they can't ban them, or at least not yet. If there was an actual ban on trans fats then pretty much all refined seed oils like soy, corn and canola would have to be banned simply because during the deodorizing process of the refining process these fragile polyunsaturated fats that have no business being exposed to that type of heat, or any heat actually have converted to small amounts of trans fats, similar amounts of cis found in butter for example, and they're not going to ban seed oils anytime soon, shout out to big food, lobbyists and politics. Cheers

AnnPT77

Good advice above.

I'd add this to Wolfman's very good to-do list in the last paragraph of his post: If you don't get the recommended minimum of 5 daily servings of varied, colorful veggies and fruits, improve that. In fact, a some mainstream health authorities are now suggesting that more than that is better, like up to 10 or more servings.

Veggies and fruits contain lots of beneficial phytochemicals (not just vitamins and minerals), some of which are believed to have beneficial effects for lowering serum cholesterol. Further, veggies and fruits tend to have lots of nice fiber, which may also have a beneficial effect. (Whole grains ditto.)

The plant fiber tends to foster a diverse gut microbiome, too. Not much is solidly and specifically demonstrated about how the gut microbiome contributes to our health, at this point . . . but it's clear that it does contribute positively, and that diversity seems to be a good thing.

Nuts, nut butters and seeds are among the good sources of mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, so they're good to eat (with portion control, because they're calorie dense).

Some one will probably reply to you that a vegan or fully plant-based diet is an excellent way to lower cholesterol. Personally, I don't think it's essential to eliminate animal foods from a health perspective . . . but I do think that increasing veggies/fruits to recommended levels, and choosing varied, colorful ones, is a really good idea for cholesterol management and other health reasons.

I have nothing against fully plant-based diets (I've been vegetarian for 48+ years, BTW), but I don't personally think there's strong evidence that a person's health necessarily benefits from totally eliminating meat/fish/dairy. Others will differ.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

(snip)

Trans fats really shouldn't be an issue since they were banned in the US...there may be trace amounts of naturally occurring trans fats in certain foods, but it's negligible and barely measurable.
(snip)

I'd quibble a little with this. There's a funny thing about trans fats. Yes, there's some naturally occurring in whole/simple foods. Also, heating/frying can form trans fats from other fats, though only in very small amounts.

But the level of total trans fats that's believed to be potentially harmful is very low.

IMU, WHO (World Health Organization) recommends an upper limit of 2.2 grams per day for the average person. I think US recommends it to be less than 1% of calories, which is similar.

US labeling laws allow (require) the nutrition facts panel to list "0 grams" for trans fat (or to not list trans fat) when the amount in the food is below 0.5g per serving.

Therefore, it's quite possible, with certain dietary patterns (like the so-called "standard American diet") to be getting more than recommended levels of trans fats (in those increments of 0.4-ish grams in each of multiple foods daily) even while eating foods not clearly labeled as containing trans fats.

A person who cares about this will want to read ingredients on food labels, and ideally choose foods that don't include any hydrogenated fats on the ingredients list, plus avoid lots of high-temperature fried foods, and maybe avoid massive amounts of saturated fat sources for this reason (because they often contain small amounts of trans fats) as well as for the obvious reasons for managing saturated fat intake.

neanderthin

Is it the increased fruit and vegetables that are protective or is it the demographic that consume the most fruit and vegetables have the least incidence of heart disease and other diseases that are associated with the Standard American Diet.

In that demographic the likelihood that it also encompasses other virtues that are healthy are very well established. Less incident of obesity, diabetes, less smokers, they exercise more, higher education, higher disposable income. Basically these people live an overall healthier lifestyle. The studies are always pitted against the quartile that have the worst health outcomes, basically against the group that are the sickest, and not surprising this group also ate the most saturated fat.

Then there's the French, the crazy French, who consume almost twice as much saturated fat as the US and have the lowest incidence of heart disease, I believe, of any Country in the world. Confused American Agencies put a label on it, so they could compartmentalize it and called it "The French Paradox". Also apparently, I'd have to recheck but in Europe the Countries that ate the most saturated fat, and I believe they're all Scandinavian, has the fewest heart related deaths in Europe. I wonder if it's lifestyle that had an effect on these outcomes and saturated fat was just along for the ride. We love a villain, so I suspect saturated fat will continue to wear that hat. Fruit, veg and whole grains also displaces ultra processed foods, which for the most part are also plant based, which also effectively improves our cholesterol and a few other kind of serious issues. Food for thought. Cheers

kshama2001

Re: the past few comments about fiber. I'd been reading about this recently:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/11-foods-that-lower-cholesterol

...Adding foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis, is the best way to achieve a low cholesterol diet.

Add these foods to lower LDL cholesterol

Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol.

1. Oats. An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets about half that amount.)

2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

3. Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

4. Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.

5. Nuts. A bushel of studies shows that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL, on the order of 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.

6. Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.

8. Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate. They're also available as supplements. Getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.

9. Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyses show that the effect is more modest — consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.

10. Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the bloodstream and also protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.

11. Fiber supplements. Supplements offer the least appealing way to get soluble fiber. Two teaspoons a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives, provide about 4 grams of soluble fiber.