Unsaturated fat: includes polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Both types are predominantly found in plant products. Examples of polyunsaturated fat food sources include soybean, sunflower, fish and corn oils. Monounsaturated fat is found in high content in olive, peanut, and canola oils. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are suggested to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
Several studies indicate that replacement of food high in saturated fatty acids with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat rich foods reduces the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
In the following table is a list of fat food sources and their corresponding estimate of monuunsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat content. With in each catagory, food items are listed from high to low for polyunsaturated fat content.
| Unsaturated fat food sources | Monounsaturated fat content (grams/1oo g food) | Polyunsaturated fat content (grams/1oo g food) |
Nuts | ||
| Nuts, macadamia nuts, dry roasted, with salt added | 1.50 | 59.27 |
| Nuts, hazelnuts or filberts | 7.92 | 45.65 |
| Nuts, pecans | 21.62 | 40.80 |
| Nuts, almonds | 12.22 | 32.16 |
| Nuts, mixed nuts, oil roasted, with peanuts, with salt added | 13.30 | 31.70 |
| Nuts, mixed nuts, dry roasted, with peanuts, with salt added | 10.77 | 31.39 |
| Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, with salt added | 7.84 | 27.32 |
| Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, with salt added | 8.55 | 25.92 |
| Nuts, brazilnuts, dried, unblanched | 20.58 | 24.55 |
| Nuts, pistachio nuts, dry roasted, with salt added | 13.90 | 24.22 |
| Nuts, pine nuts, dried | 34.07 | 18.77 |
| Nuts, pine nuts, dried | 34.07 | 18.77 |
| Nuts, walnuts, english | 47.17 | 8.93 |
| Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), sweetened, shredded | 0.39 | 1.51 |
| Nuts, coconut meat, raw | 0.37 | 1.42 |
| Nuts, chestnuts, european, roasted | 0.87 | 0.76 |
Peanuts | ||
| Peanuts, all types, oil-roasted, with salt | 15.27 | 25.94 |
| Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, with salt | 15.69 | 24.64 |
| Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, without salt | 15.69 | 24.64 |
| Peanut butter, chunk style, with salt | 14.80 | 24.56 |
| Peanut butter, smooth style, with salt | 13.87 | 23.71 |
Vegatable oils | ||
| Oil, vegetable safflower, salad or cooking, oleic, over 70% (primary safflower oil of commerce) | 14.35 | 74.65 |
| Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 10.53 | 72.96 |
| Oil, peanut, salad or cooking | 32.00 | 46.20 |
| Oil, soybean, salad or cooking, (hydrogenated) | 37.60 | 43.00 |
| Oil, sesame, salad or cooking | 41.70 | 39.70 |
| Oil, soybean, salad or cooking, (hydrogenated) and cottonseed | 48.10 | 29.50 |
| Oil, vegetable, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking | 54.68 | 27.57 |
| Oil, vegetable, sunflower, linoleic, (approx. 65%) | 65.70 | 19.50 |
The following links also have dietary information related to lowering cholesterol:
Cholesterol: good or bad for health?
Cholesterol: benefits and how to raise HDL cholesterol level
More food stuffs high/low in cholesterol
Foods of animal origin high in cholesterol- USDA
Foods low in cholesterol content - USDA
Plant food that help lower cholesterol
List of food totally free of cholesterol
Cholesterol content in seafoods (tuna, salmon, shrimp)
Cookbooks for low cholesterol diet
Links of interest:
Arginine and nitric oxide improve erectile dysfunction
References
Denke MA. 2006. Dietary fats, fatty acids, and their effects on lipoproteins. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 8(6):466-71.
Grundy S.M. 1989. Monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol metabolism: implications for dietary recommendations. Journal of Nutrition. 1989 Apr;119(4):529-33.
Hodson, L., Skeaff, C.M., Chisholm, W.A.2001. The effect of replacing dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat on plasma lipids in free-living young adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 55: 908-915.
Data adapted from USDA National Nutrient Database Reference, Release 18
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