What impact does salmon have on cholesterol levels?

No, people do not consider salmon to be a high cholesterol food.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100 grams (g) of United States Department of Agriculture,Governmental authority">raw farm-raised Atlantic salmon and 100g of raw wild sockeye salmon contain around 60 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol. Cooked salmon will contain roughly the same amount of cholesterol.

Previously, guidelines advised people to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day. However, current guidelines now advise that people may not need to strictly manage their dietary cholesterol.

In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend eating at least 8 ounces of fish, such as salmon, each week to help lower cholesterol levels.

This is because salmon is low in saturated fats and contains unsaturated fats, such as polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which include healthy fats such as omega-3 and omega-6. Consuming PUFAs helps to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol levels in the blood, which may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Additionally, replacing less healthy proteins that are high in saturated fat and low in unsaturated fat with salmon may further help this benefit.

When consuming salmon, it is preferable to prepare it by baking, broiling, grilling, or boiling rather than breading and frying it. This is because breading and frying results in adding salt, saturated fat, or trans fat to the meal.