The US government is about to change its recommendations on dietary cholesterol intake. The nation’s nutrition advisory panel has come to the conclusion that cholesterol in your diet is not a risk factor for high blood cholesterol or heart disease. Foods that are high in cholesterol such as egg yolks, lobster and shrimp have a negligible effect on blood cholesterol levels and are a safe and delicious inclusion in your diet. Most of the cholesterol that’s in your blood was manufactured by your liver. If you have a fatty liver or inflamed liver, you are more likely to have high cholesterol and triglycerides. Eating natural fats, such as those found in olive oil, nuts, coconuts, butter and even red meat does not raise cholesterol levels substantially. Sugar, flour, breakfast cereals and industrial seed oils are the real culprits in causing heart disease. I have written about this subject in detail in my book Cholesterol: The Real Truth. If you want to know more about the link between sugar and heart disease, see this interesting interview with UK cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra