High Cholesterol and Whey Protein

by Naveen
(Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Is it safe to take whey protein if i have high cholesterol? My cholesterol level is around 6.


Answer:

This is not medical advice, so if you feel you have high cholesterol levels, it's always recommended to check with your doctor.

With whey protein, there seems to be a lot of discussions around cholesterol intake. Most popular brands on the market supply you with 30mg of cholesterol per serving, which is about 10% of your daily intake (no more than 300mg of cholesterol per day is recommended).

However there are some brands of whey protein which have as low as 5mg per serving but they will probably cost a bit more. If you feel your cholesterol levels are an issue, these types of whey protein powders would be recommended.

So based on these figures it doesn't look like whey protein will greatly impact your cholesterol levels. Of course you will need to examine other aspects of your diet as well.

But more importantly, there's a lot of myths and misinformation about cholesterol. A lot of this has been established by pharmaceutical drug companies.

Experts who are trying to tackle these cholesterol myths clearly state that cholesterol is not the bad guy. It's not as dangerous as you have been led to believe. Cholesterol is actually very important for various body functions and people who are prescribed with statins can actually develop levels of cholesterol that are too low.

What most people don't know is that 3/4 of your cholesterol levels is produced by your liver. Experts state that your insulin levels contribute to cholesterol more than anything else.

So lowering your "dietary" cholesterol levels isn't really a big factor. What you should really focus on is lowering your insulin levels. This can be done through exercise and eating low glycemic foods.

Therefore whey protein might contain dietary cholesterol, but it shouldn't really be a factor for most people. Eating high sugar foods and high glycemic foods like breads, pastas and cereal will have a much higher effect on your cholesterol levels.

For your specific situation I'm not sure what a cholesterol level of 6 is. So my advice is certainly not medical advice, but consuming whey protein will probably not negatively impact your overall cholesterol levels. Lack of exercise and a poor diet are the things you should look into.