How can products have 0 trans and saturated fats but still contain cholesterol?

Question: How can products have 0 trans and saturated fats but still contain cholesterol?

Answer: Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that animals make normally in the liver. We need cholesterol for healthy nerve function and hormonal function. Some people have elevated cholesterol levels and are told to go on low-cholesterol diets, which may help to reduce their elevated cholesterol levels. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal foods such as meat, milk, cheese, fish, poultry and eggs. It is suggested that a normal diet provide no more than 300 mg cholesterol per day.

Trans-fats are usually artificially created when liquid vegetable oils are hydrogenated. There are some trans fats found naturally in dairy products. The artificially created tran-fats are unhealthy should be avoided.

Saturated fats are hard at room temperature. One example is butter. Saturated fats are found mostly in animal foods, however there are some oils like palm oil and coconut oil that contain some saturated fats. Eating a diet with too much saturated fat has been correlated with having an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Since cholesterol is not a saturated fat, nor a trans fat, it is listed separately on food labels and is listed in milligrams, while other fats are listed in grams. Any food product that has less than 0.5 g trans fat or less than 0.5 grams saturated fat can claim zero grams on the label. While tuna has almost no saturated fat, it is a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are unsaturated fats, and tuna does contain some cholesterol. Seafood has less cholesterol than red meat. For example, you can compare the 25 mg found in a serving of tuna to a three ounce hamburger patty, which has 75 mg cholesterol.

Related Articles:

• What Does Cholesterol Do?
• What are Trans Fats?
• Partially Hydrogenated Oil, But Trans Fat Free?

_Source:

National Institutes of Health. "High Blood Cholesterol." February 2006.