Like most people, I am concerned about cholesterol, yet I like to eat meat. I eat most of my meat in the form of soups and stews-and of course, the fat rises to the top. My question: does the cholesterol go with the fat? Since I skim it off, it seems like I’ve eliminated at least some of the risk. Also, is there any evidence that cholesterol plays some (positive) role in keeping the veins and arteries flexible? I note that the japanese (low animal fat/low cholesterol diet)have a high incidence of stroke (whichis rupture of the vein/arterial wall-apparently, the blood vessels become less flexible with age. Does cholesterol help prevent this?
I’m no expert, so “grain of salt” mode should be on, but I’ve looked into this a bit. The sources I’ve looked at indicate that ingesting cholesterol in food isn’t nearly as bad for you as eating quantities of saturated fats which the body then converts into cholesterol (so skimming off the fat helps). The other important thing is that the balance of HDL/LDL cholesterol in your system is as important as the total cholesterol count. I looked into this because I have very low cholesterol, but my balance is off, so I’m as much at risk as someone with very high cholesterol.
EG, Cholesterol is just one type of fat found in animals, triglyceride is another. Yes, the cholesterol goes out with the other fats when they’re skimmed off. But it doesn’t really matter. You are an omnivorous mammal with a need for some fat in your diet. The current anti-fat crusade is just another fad diet. If you are overweight, it makes sense to limit your fat intake simply because fat has over twice the calories per gram as protein and carbo. That’s about it. Your body digests all nutrients into simple compounds in the small intestine before they are absorbed by the blood. If you don’t use the nutrients, your body turns them into your own fat. That fat (and cholesterol) floating around in your bloodstream is your own. You DO NOT have undigested molecules of chicken fat floating around in your bloodstream.
So, if you’re not overweight, don’t sweat it, unless you just don’t like the greasy taste.
Forgive me, but my doctor doesn’t agree with you at all, and I’m going to continue to follow his advice 
True, the fat and cholesterol floating around in my bloodstream is my own, but the fat and cholesterol I’m digesting has quite a lot to do with the amount I’m carrying around in my bloodstream.