DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My recent cholesterol test results made me wonder about a few things. What time period does the test cover? Does it mean my cholesterol has been at that level for weeks or months? Can one meal high in cholesterol raise the blood level? I was shocked to have a level of 250 mg/dL (6.5 mmol/L), because I rarely eat animal products — maybe once or twice a week a bit of cheese or a few ounces of meat and a daily low-fat yogurt. I exercise for an hour a day and am not overweight. Am I someone who cannot eat any animal protein? — Anon.

ANSWER: A cholesterol test shows the blood cholesterol level at the time that your blood was drawn. It varies throughout the day, but the variance isn’t so great that it has important health implications. In a single day, it might change by 8 percent. From one day to the next, it can vary by 15 percent. Your reading indicates that your blood cholesterol is around 250 mg/dL. One meal, even high in cholesterol, does not appreciably increase blood cholesterol for any significant period of time.

Your intake of protein, animal or vegetable, doesn’t influence cholesterol levels. Fat is the food that elevates cholesterol, even more than do cholesterol-containing foods. Saturated fats and trans fats are the fats to minimize or avoid. Saturated fats are found in and around animal meats and in whole dairy products. Trans fats are fats created in many commercial foods to improve taste and to preserve their life span. The amount of trans fats is shown on the nutrition labels on foods. They’re often found in baked goods.

A diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains is the best diet for cholesterol control. In truth, some people do not respond to dietary interventions. Your diet sounds good to me.

LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) is the kind of cholesterol with the greatest influence on artery clogging. For most, a reading of 100 mg/dL or lower (2.6 mmol/L) is ideal.

If diet and exercise cannot lower your cholesterol, then you and your doctor have to discuss the use of cholesterol-lowering medicines.

The booklet on cholesterol explains this mystifying topic in detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 201, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, which I have controlled with diet and exercise. One area confuses me. I omit palm oil and coconut oil because of their high saturated fat content. I notice now many cookies, even in health-food stores, contain these oils. Will you explain the effect of these oils on cholesterol? — J.P.

ANSWER: Coconut and palm oil have a high content of saturated fat. Saturated fat increases the body’s production of LDL cholesterol, the kind that clogs arteries. Some manufacturers have begun to use these oils again to avoid using trans fats in their products. The evidence on their safety is conflicting. Lauric acid, found in coconut oil, boosts HDL cholesterol, which is good cholesterol, and has other health claims.

Until all this is sorted out, one of the most respected nutritional experts in the U.S. recommends that these oils should be used sparingly.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I was told that eating chicken cartilage prevents arthritis. Years ago, my grandmother insisted I eat chicken cartilage. She boiled chicken legs and told me to eat everything but the bone. I actually like it. I am 87 and have no signs of arthritis. My brother, however, would not eat the cartilage and his fingers are very stiff and gnarled. Was my grandmother right? — E.L.

ANSWER: I don’t want to denigrate your grandmother’s dietary advice and insights, but I cannot understand how chicken cartilage prevents arthritis. I don’t know if the materials in it are absorbed into the blood. As for the different joint outcomes between your brother and you, I don’t have an explanation. Frankly, the thought of eating chicken cartilage makes me gag.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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