Have you been cutting dietary cholesterol to keep your heart healthy?

If you’re older, a recent study published in the Journal of Gerontology suggests you should think twice before giving up high-cholesterol foods like bacon.

Here’s why…

According to researchers at Texas A&M University, cholesterol isn’t as bad as we’ve been led to believe.

At least not when it comes to working out.

The scientists studied 55 men and women from 60 to 69 years old. These people were healthy nonsmokers who engaged in exercise testing and training.

The group ate similar meals and exercised the same way and amount. They stretched, rode stationary bikes, and lifted weights vigorously.

But there was one difference: their cholesterol levels.

By the end of the study, the scientists discovered a strong association between dietary cholesterol and change in strength.

Surprisingly, the subjects who consumed higher levels of cholesterol also showed the most muscle strength gain.

Likewise, those who took cholesterol-lowering drugs during the study had the least muscle gain.

So it appears that cholesterol circulating in the blood also affects muscle gain.

The researchers were unprepared for these results. They really can’t explain them.

But their theory is that your muscles become sore when you rebuild muscle mass through exercise. If cholesterol causes more inflammation when you exercise, then you’ll gain more muscle mass.

But you have to exercise.

If you just sit around all day, then high levels of cholesterol may still be bad for you. Especially if it causes inflammation around your heart.

The key is to exercise while consuming cholesterol. That way, you’ll build muscle mass.

But the researchers admit they need to learn more about how cholesterol affects our bodies.