Another useful dietary update from the Mayo Clinic
If you enjoy shellfish but are reluctant to eat it because of worries about cholesterol, take heart. Blue mussels, broiled scallops or a fine Maine lobster are actually heart-healthy protein sources. Most shellfish are not only low in cholesterol, but they can also be rich sources of heart-healthy fats.
The April issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter explains that the commonly held view was likely driven by the fact that the nutritional profile of shellfish includes chemical compounds called sterols. Although cholesterol is just one among many sterols, less sophisticated testing methods used in the past grouped all sterols under cholesterol. So, the cholesterol levels for shellfish generally looked high. Now, laboratory tests can differentiate cholesterol from non-cholesterol sterols.
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