This is a very controversial topic. Opinions are quite diverse and you can spend years going through all the online information understanding the biochemistry, research of human and animal studies.
One of the most informative sites I have found during my exhaustive search was Peter Attia,’s (M.D.), eatingacademy.com. Specifically, The straight dope on cholesterol – Part I .
He also has another site, Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI). I found this site quite interesting as he poses many of the questions I have on my ongoing quest for the truth regarding what we should be eating. For an in-depth video/audio review of the challenges associated with research and recommendations of what we should actually eat, see: http://vimeo.com/45485034 , Dr. Peter Attia: The limits of scientific evidence and the ethics of dietary guidelines — 60 years of ambiguity.
It is important to realize that: Cholesterol is essential for life. Cholesterol is required by all cells (cell membranes) and required to produce steroid hormones and bile acids.
Roughly 25% of cholesterol comes from the food we eat and 75% is actually recycled and manufactured by our body. Most of the cholesterol we eat is not actually absorbed. Eating cholesterol has very little impact on the cholesterol levels in your body.
