Does MyFitnessPal track cholesterol?

Dietary cholesterol vs blood cholesterol

These are easy to mix up, but they're different things:

• Dietary cholesterol is the cholesterol in the food you eat, mostly in eggs, meat, shellfish and dairy. It's measured in milligrams on a nutrition label.
• Blood cholesterol is what your doctor measures: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides. It's what affects your heart risk.

For most people, dietary cholesterol has a smaller effect on blood LDL than saturated fat does. That's why US dietary guidelines dropped the old 300 mg/day limit and now advise keeping dietary cholesterol as low as is practical within a healthy eating pattern, while organisations like the American Heart Association focus on cutting saturated fat. If you're trying to lower your LDL, saturated fat and fibre are the numbers to watch most closely.

What MyFitnessPal tracks

• Dietary cholesterol per food, where the entry includes it. Many of MyFitnessPal's entries are user-submitted, and some leave out cholesterol or saturated fat, so your daily totals can undercount.
• A nutrients view showing daily totals. Exactly which nutrients and goals you can see and customise depends on whether you're on the free or Premium tier, and this has changed over the years. Check Nutrition → Nutrients in your app.
• A heart-healthy dashboard on Premium, which highlights fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories.

What MyFitnessPal doesn't track

• Your lipid panel. There's no built-in place for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL or triglyceride results, no reference ranges and no trend chart.
• The link between your food and your results. Without lab results in the same app, you can't see whether a quarter of lower saturated fat lined up with a lower LDL.

Some people keep their test results in a diary note or a spreadsheet next to MyFitnessPal. That works, but it's easy to lose track of, and you won't get ranges or charts.

How to track cholesterol properly

1. Log your lipid panel every time you're tested, with the date and whether you fasted. Learn what each number means in how to read your cholesterol test results.
2. Track saturated fat daily. The American Heart Association suggests people who need to lower their cholesterol aim for about 5–6% of calories from saturated fat, roughly 11–13 g a day on a 2,000-calorie diet.
3. Track fibre, especially soluble fibre from oats, beans, lentils and fruit. See how fibre soaks up cholesterol.
4. Compare between tests. Look at what changed in your eating between two results, not day to day.

MyFitnessPal vs cholesterol-focused apps

For a broader look at every option, see our roundup of the best cholesterol tracking apps or the full MyFitnessPal vs Heart Tracker comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Does MyFitnessPal track cholesterol for free?

MyFitnessPal can show dietary cholesterol for foods whose entries include it, but which nutrients you can view and set goals for depends on your tier, and Premium adds a heart-healthy dashboard. Neither tier tracks your blood cholesterol test results.

Can MyFitnessPal track LDL and HDL?

No. MyFitnessPal doesn't have a built-in way to log LDL, HDL, total cholesterol or triglyceride results from a blood test. You'd need a separate app or a dedicated cholesterol tracker.

Is dietary cholesterol or saturated fat more important to track?

For most people, saturated fat has a bigger effect on blood LDL than dietary cholesterol, so it's the more useful number to track if you're trying to lower your cholesterol. Follow any specific limits your doctor gives you.

What app tracks both food and blood cholesterol?

Heart Tracker tracks meals (including saturated fat, fibre and dietary cholesterol) and your lipid panel results in one free app. Cronometer can also log lipid results as biometrics alongside detailed nutrient tracking.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

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