Technically, plants do produce cholesterol...but practically, it's a rather insignificant amount when it comes to human consumption and humans can't uptake them efficiently. Long story short...technically, yes...realistically to human consumption and intake, too insignificant to even count it as a source. Plant cholesterol is rather ignorable compared to the good they do, especially the role of some other plant compounds in blocking uptake or otherwise helping the body pass other "bad" cholesterol from meat sources. Just a fyi...

I've used the parafin based niacin; I think it's also called nicotinic acid. The therapeutic effect takes place between 1500mg to 3000mg/day. With me, 2500mg works. I use the Enduracin product. Must take it with food. I take 1000 @ breakfast, 1000@lunch & 500@ dinner. I had to build up to it: 250 1st wk, 500 2nd & 3rd wk, 1000 2nd month, etc. The oatbran book by Kowalski mentioned it and that's how I learned of it. Been on it since the early 1980's. The great thing about it is it raises the HDL (good chol), reverses blockages & lowers total chol & the bad LDL. Diet does not solve the problem, because with most of us, our body produces it no matter what we eat. I was disappointed in first 6 months: my chol. dramatically increased....but that was because the chol was being released from the tissues into the bloodstream, for destruction by the liver. I think the niacin uses up the bile, and the liver pulls in cholesterol to make more bile. Not sure why it works. When started, my total chol was over 400, the HDL was 11, and LDL was up off the charts. After 9 months, and to the present time, my tot chol is 104, HDL 50+ & LDL less than 40. It's a nuissance, but it works. REMEMBER, regular blood tests & consult with your MD.

There is one doctor in California (I think that he is at Scripps Research Clinic) who seems to be showing over the past 20 years that in his patients, strict - practically vegetarian diet, stress reduction, and exercise not only control the numbers but reduces the buildup already in the arteries. The stress reduction and exercise just as important as the eating habits. The science is not firm on just what the numbers mean. There is certainly a correlation between high LDL cholesterol and high triglycerides and heart disease ( also a type of liver disease) and now that they know there are different types of cholesterol starting to get an idea what is good and what isn't. So they currently think that it is the ratio of HDL to LDL that is most important -- But it is not for sure yet (may never be!) just how much is too much or not enough for any one person. Genetics plays a big role like someone pointed out above. Some people just make cholesterol excessively, even if they aren't eating a lot of saturated fat. My trigylcerides have always tested low; not just normal, low -- except the one time it was tested the morning after a steak dinner (rare for me) -- that time they were above normal range!

I found out in June that my cholestrol was high, 240 total - don't know the good/bad numbers but having been told that I had some stenosis in one of the arteries, I decided to work on diet and excerise. I am on Simavastatin, generic drug for cholestrol, 10 mg a day. I started walking 45 min a day on a treadmill at ramdon settings so that the incline changes or if I don't walk I do a Senior Aerobics class (had been doing some of that before). I do one or the other 5 days a week. I also changed my diet - gave up white bread products, pastries, cookies, etc, and have lower the amount of red meat - we never eat much at a time but now we had fish at least once a week, pork, chicken and try one dinner a week without meat. Eating more veggies and cooking with olive oil mostly. Also avoiding the processed foods - like the box rice dishes, etc. Lowering the sodium - avoiding sodas and salty snacks. I only use milk on cereal but I did go from whole to 2%. - Sorry Oilpainter but skim looks like water to me. I do eat Light Yogurt once a day. I eat cereal every morning but once a week, have whatever I want that day but the cereal are whole grain, lots of fiber. I like the Whole Wheat Flats for bread- they are really good, kinda sweet tasting. When I had my checkup at the end of August my cholestrol had dropped to 140. I think she said the good was 49, would have liked it a little higher but she was really pleased. My blood pressure which was also increasing had been in the 130's - 140's was down to 102 - the second number has always been in the high 50's - low 60's. I also had lost weight, which I also needed to do. I am now pretty stable, weight wise - I don't get winded when I walk long distances like I used to. So, changing diet and excerise - which I believe was the key for me - works. I don't know how much the meds did vs the other changes but she thinks I may be able to come off the meds in Dec. when I go back. If you get the recipe book Cooking Light - it has some really great dishes in it. I also found some great ones is a magazine called Clean Living. Good luck! Oilpainter - I would love to eat Oatmeal and almonds, walnuts - found out I am allergic to them!