how do vegans get cholesterol?

Question

I know cholesterol is usually a bad thing but i think you need a little to survive, so how do vegans get it?

Answer 1

Cholesterol is made in your liver from any dietary fat. Vegans, consuming no dietary cholesterol, but still eating fat have blood cholesterol levels in the 130-150 range.

Answer 2

NO PLANT PRODUCT CONTAINS CHOLESTEROL. Cholesterol is a substance produced by animals, including humans. It is synthesized by the liver. Don't confuse saturated fat (which IS present in large proportions in some plant oils) with cholesterol. All cholesterol-containing products contain saturated fat, but the reverse is not necessarily true. Although plant fats have various effects on LDL and HDL, these are indirect effects since ultimately you only have two direct sources of cholesterol - animal foods and your liver.

Palm oil and coconut oil are supposed to increase your bad cholesterol (although this is disputed by some). This is not because they have contain cholesterol (they have NONE, just like all plant oils) but because they encourage your body to make more LDL cholesterol.

You have to differentiate between what something contains, and what its effect is on the body. If you try to extract cholesterol from coconut oil in a lab, you can't. There is none. I realize that some people disagree with me but this stems from the confusion of saturated fat with cholesterol. Not the same thing at all.

Plants do contain sterols, a plant form of cholesterol, but this is present in very small amounts.

Max Marie,

The AHA (and others) say that plant fats increase your HDL, not that they contain HDL. This is what I'm trying to point out. It may sound like nit-picking but it's a very important difference.

Sorry for such a long answer! I'm not good at summarizing!

Answer 3

The majority of cholesterol in your body is self made. You create on average 4 to 5 times more than you consume and your body creates more if you eat none.

Answer 4

First, tropical nuts and oils contain cholesterol. You do need some amount of cholesterol, for proper brain function.

In addition, though, the liver can take any fat and convert it into cholesterol. It's just much easier for your body to get it when you eat in, particulary in animal products. But also all to easy for your body to get far too much of it that way, too.

Great question, BTW.


For Max Marie and Chelsea, avocados and temperate zone nuts contain monounsaturated fats, which help to raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterol. The same is true of olives and olive oil. However, they do NOT contain cholesterol, which is almost entirely found in animal products. And vegans, of course, don't use animal products.

Answer 5

Cholesterol is naturally made in the body and it also comes from outside sources.

Answer 6

Unless we consume meat, animal products, or anything with palm oil in it, we don't consume any cholesterol. Human dietary need for cholesterol is zero. We need none. I mean of the bad cholesterol, that is. Anything from the plant world that has good cholesterol is fine.

Answer 7

cholesterol is naturally produced in the body the human body can easily survive and thrive without bringing outside cholesterol into it

Answer 8

If cholesterol is too low its a bad thing ask your doctor and vegans can get it through genetics just like we do. Its not always what you eat but who is in your family tree.

Answer 9

Ah, my confused friend, let me help.

There is good cholesterol and there is bad cholesterol. Your HDL and your LDL.

LDL is bad cholesterol. It comes from meat, eggs and dairy. Just one egg is 70% of your daily allowance for bad cholesterol.

HDL is GOOD cholesterol. The stuff that keeps your pipes clean. Avocado, mango, nuts, olives, tofu, soy milk, virgin coconut oil are sources sited by the American Heart Association and the Physican's Committee for Responsible Medicine to raise your good cholesterol.

Hope that helps!

Answer 10

Where do the cows get THEIR cholesterol?