Saturated fats are often believed to have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, but cacao's saturated fat content is entirely different because stearic acid is a particular fatty acid in that it does
not elevate blood cholesterol levels the way other saturated fats can and studies have found that diets containing cocoa and chocolate have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels in humans.
Sudden or recurring bouts of pancreatitis in dogs have been associated
with elevated blood cholesterol levels (although a more consistent finding in pancreatitis is higher than normal blood triglyceride levels).
I recently learned that hypothyroidism can lead to
an elevated blood cholesterol level.
The thought is that eating foods that contain saturated fat and dietary cholesterol lead to
elevated blood cholesterol levels, which is bad for health.
Also, of the people who have heart attacks, only about TWENTY FIVE PERCENT have
elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Many of these pets also have
elevated blood cholesterol levels (ref)
About 70 % of those cats will have
elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Elevated blood cholesterol levels are considerably more common in dogs than cats.