Cottonseed Oil May Lower Bad Cholesterol: 6 Foods That May Help Too

Cottonseed may do wonders for cholesterol profiles in young adult men, says a recent study. Cottonseed is the seed of the cotton plant. For the study published in journal Nutrition Research, the researchers conducted a five-day outpatient feeding trial of 15 healthy, normal weight men to test the effects of diets enriched with cottonseed oil and olive oil on lipid profiles. The findings revealed that a high fat diet enriched in with cottonseed oil drastically improved cholesterol profiles in young adult men.
The study comes in as a surprise. Since for the longest time, olive oil has been touted as one of the best oils for heart. While olive oil is a safe bet for high cholesterol problems, people now can consider cottonseed oil too for smooth heart health. The findings revealed significant reductions in cholesterol and triglycerides in the cottonseed oil trial compared to minimal changes on the olive oil-enriched diet. 

Jamie Cooper, the corresponding author of the study said, "One of the reasons these results were so surprising is because of the magnitude of change observed with the cottonseed oil diet. To see this amount of change in such a short period of time is exciting."

The study examined  healthy men between the ages of 18 and 45, they were provided high-fat meals for five days in two separate, tightly controlled trials, the only difference being the use of either cottonseed oil or olive oil in the meals.

Participants showed an average decrease of 8 percent in total cholesterol on the cottonseed oil diet, along with a 15 percent decrease in low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) and a 30 percent decrease in triglycerides.

Researchers postulated that a fatty acid unique to cottonseed oil, dihydrosterculic acid, may help prevent the accumulation of triglycerides, a type of fat, in the body.

"By doing that, it pushes the body to burn more of that fat because it can't store it properly, so you have less lipid and cholesterol accumulation," Cooper said.

That mechanism, in addition to the high polyunsatured fat and omega-6 content of cottonseed oil, seems to be a key component to the beneficial effects on lipid profiles, Cooper said.
Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and has important natural functions in stimulating various activities in the body that include digesting foods, producing hormones among others. There are two types of cholesterols: HDL or good cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol. The bad cholesterol forms plaques in the blood vessels which tend to restrict the blood flow. 
Cholesterol Diet Food List: Foods That May Help Lower Cholesterol 

1. Oats
2. Soy
3. Fatty Fish
4. Citrus Fruits
5. Nuts
6. Beans 

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(With inputs ANI)