Q. There seems to be conflicting information on the relationship between consuming shellfish and cholesterol. What does the latest research show? If shellfish is a high-cholesterol food, how much is too much?
A. For years dietitians counseled people to avoid foods high in cholesterol. The theory was that eating cholesterol would raise cholesterol in the blood. As a result, many avoided eggs and shellfish, even though there was little, if any, data to suggest that such foods posed a problem.
There was a flaw with this advice, however. The old tests that were used to determine that shellfish was high in cholesterol were inaccurate. Clams, lobster, mussels and crab contain relatively little cholesterol. Even shrimp is not considered worrisome any more.
Eating cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, does not necessarily raise cholesterol (Journal of Nutrition, Oct. 2006). In one study people ate lots of red meat and eggs with almost no starch. Their bad LDL cholesterol did not go up and their triglycerides actually came down (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Nov. 2003).
