Cholesterol 101

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from your body and food. Your body needs some cholesterol to function properly and to produce hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help you digest fat. When you have too much cholesterol, health problems, such as heart disease, may develop.

Your body, and especially your liver, makes all the cholesterol you need and circulates it through the blood.

It is also found in foods such as meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Your liver produces more cholesterol when you eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats. There are two types of cholesterol: the “bad” kind (LDL) and the “good” kind (HDL). Too much LDL (bad) cholesterol or not enough HDL (good) cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Heart disease remains the number-one cause of death in the United States.

The Mazola^® Substitution Chart

You can help reduce your cholesterol the easy way by replacing butter, margarine or other higher saturated fat oils with Mazola^® cooking oil.* When preparing recipes, use the adjacent chart to guide you in how to substitute your butter or margarine ingredients with Mazola^®, letting you prepare meals that are better for you and taste great too!

*To achieve cholesterol reduction, one serving of Mazola^® corn oil must be part of a healthy diet and replace a similar amount of butter or other higher saturated fat oil. Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tbsp (16 grams) of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil. FDA concludes there is little scientific data supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. See product pages for more information about corn, canola, vegetable plus, corn plus, and olive oils.

What are plant sterols?

Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are plant-based micro-nutrients in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and vegetable oils.¹ Studies show that, when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, plant sterols can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, which can lower LDL blood cholesterol.²

¹USDA and USDHHS 2010
²USDA and USDHHS 2010; FDA 2000, 2010; Wu et al. 2009; Demonty et al. 2008, Ellegard et al. 2008; Mensink et al. 2010.
³Research was conducted online using Synovate’s omnibus service, eNation. Each eNation wave conducts 1,000 U.S. consumer interviews (500 male, 500 female) that are geographically and demographically reflective of the U.S. adult population. 818 interviews were conducted among cooking oil users. Results for these 818 respondents have a confidence interval of +/- 3.4% at the 95% level. Interviewing occurred July 19–21, 2011.
⁴USDA FoodData Central (2019)
Corn oil has plant sterols content of 135.6 mg/serving vs. 29.8 mg/serving for olive oil. Based on analysis of corn oil and April 2019 USDA FoodData Central data for olive oil.

How can I get more plant sterols in my diet?

Using cooking oil is an easy way to incorporate plant sterols into your diet. In fact, according to a recent survey, 81 percent of respondents say they use cooking oil at least once a week.³ But not all cooking oils are equal…

Corn oil contains the highest amount of naturally occurring plant sterols per serving compared to any other popular cooking oil. Corn oil contains four times as many plant sterols as olive oil and three times as many as vegetable (soybean) oil!⁴ So make the switch to corn oil today.

Did you know that some fats are good for your heart?

The USDA officially released the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992 to help the American public make dietary choices that would maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The updated guide, now known as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, was released in 2011. This guide provides information on a total diet that meets nutrient needs from food sources and aims to moderate or limit dietary components often consumed in excess.

The guide recommends that most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated (PUFA) or monounsaturated (MUFA). Oils are the major source of MUFAs and PUFAs in the diet. PUFAs contain some fatty acids that are necessary for health—called “essential fatty acids.” Because oils contain these essential fatty acids, there is an allowance for oils in the MyPlate food guide separate from the discretionary calorie allowance.

The MUFAs and PUFAs found in vegetable oils, fish and nuts do not raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood and may in fact lower them. In addition to the essential fatty acids they contain, oils are the major source of vitamin E in typical American diets.

Though some vegetable oil is needed for health, oils still contain calories. Keep the amount of oils consumed within the total allowed for caloric needs. A person’s allowance for oils depends on age, sex and level of physical activity. Click this link for daily allowances.

The Nutrition Facts label also provides information to help you make smart choices. Look for amounts of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fat under the total fat listing.

Getting to know GMOs

ACH Food Companies, Inc. recognizes the concerns that some consumers may have regarding genetically modified ingredients. There is an agreement of GM ingredients’ safety among food regulatory bodies that have approved GM ingredients. This includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The World Health Organization has stated that “the development of GM organisms (GMOs) offers the potential for increased agricultural productivity or improved nutritional value that can contribute directly to enhancing human health and development.” ACH offers ingredients and foods that contain GMOs as well as ingredients that are organic and non-GMO.

ACH is committed to selling our consumers safe ingredients and foods and believes that biotechnology can help in that effort.