High Cholesterol and Impotence

If there were no other reason to take control of cholesterol, here’s one that certainly has merit.

A recent study found that men with high cholesterol are twice as likely to be impotent as men whose cholesterol levels are normal or low.

Researchers recorded cholesterol levels of 3,250 healthy men between the ages of 25 and 83.  Men with total cholesterol higher than 240 milligrams/dl were twice as likely to have trouble achieving or maintaining an erection than men who cholesterol levels were below 180 milligrams/dl.

Men who had low levels of HDL were also twice as likely to suffer from impotence.  The same high-fat diet that narrows arteries and blocks blood flow to your heart also narrows the arteries that carry blood to your penis.  Blood has to be able to get to your penis in order for you to have an erection.  Take control now and you’ll find yourself improving in this area of your life as well.

The typical American diet consists of fatty meats, processed cold cuts, dairy products and fried foods.  As if that weren’t enough, throw in commercially baked breads, roles, cakes, chips and cookies.  This is a surefire path to high cholesterol.

Oddly, ingesting cholesterol will not raise the blood cholesterol nearly as much as eating a type of fat called “saturated fat.”   Like cholesterol, saturated fat is primarily foundin animal products like cheese, butter, cream, whole milk, ice cream, lard and marbled meats.

Don’t believe that if you just change to vegetable oil you can eliminate the problem.  Some vegetable oils are also high in saturated fat.  Palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter are also very high in saturated fat.  Unfortunately, these are also most often used in commercially baked goods, coffee creams and nondairy whipped toppings, so make sure you read labels.

Here is a chart showing the comparisons of different oils.

Although all of the oils listed above (except butter) contain no measurement of dietary cholesterol, to lower your own cholesterol level, you must use oils low in saturated fat.  Canola oil (7% saturated fat) is one of the best available cooking oils.  Olive oil (14% saturated fat) is also good to use.

One more rule that makes this chart just a bit misleading.  Any fat that is hard at room temperature, such as stick margarine, is not good for your cholesterol.  Margarine has been hydrogenated (hardened) and that process adds trans fatty acids. 

Trans fatty acids may be as bad for you as saturated fat, so stick margarine is equal to butter as far as your cholesterol is concerned.  Diet and soft margarines are a better bet.  Also look for brands of margarine or shortening that top the ingredient list with oils rich in monounsaturated fat, like canola oil.