Although eggs have been demonized in the past for containing cholesterol, recent studies have cited a consensus that cholesterol, primarily from egg yolks, poses very little risk for adverse effects on LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
In 1968, the American Heart Association announced that all individuals should eat no more than three eggs per week due to their cholesterol content. Because egg yolks contain cholesterol, they have been labeled as an unhealthy food that will contribute to raised LDL (bad) cholesterol and therefore, result in putting one at higher risk for heart disease.
Coincidentally, just one year prior in 1967, the Sugar Research Foundation sponsored research by Harvard scientists to refute concerns about sugar’s potential role in heart disease, highlighting fat as the primary culprit. The sugar-funded review scrutinized a variety of studies and trials, suggesting that those which implicated sugar were faulty. Their final recommendation was the elimination of fat from the American diet as the most effective way to combat heart disease.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1967, there were zero disclosures of conflict of interest with the sugar industry funding. This study paved the way for decades of low-fat, high carbohydrate nutrition guidance, the egg yolk being one of the most noted casualties.
Now, authors of more recent article published in JAMA Internal Medicine argue that for over five decades, the sugar industry has been triumphant in spreading misinformation regarding the scientific debate over the relative risks of sugar and fat.
In 2015, the restriction of egg intake was eliminated from U.S. dietary guidelines since there is lacking evidence that cholesterol from egg consumption truly causes heart disease. Many mainstream recommendations still urge to consume cereal or oatmeal for breakfast due to being “heart healthy” but studies have shown that eating two eggs for breakfast in place of oatmeal reflects no change or increase in biomarkers related to heart disease.
In fact, more than 50 years of research has shown that the cholesterol in eggs has very little impact on LDL cholesterol levels and is not associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Some of these studies divided trial participants into two groups—the first group ate one to three whole eggs every day, and the other group did not consume eggs whatsoever.
The results showed the following:
- Lower blood triglycerides were achieved due to the omeg-3 content
- In most cases, the HDL (good) cholesterol increase
- Carotenoid antioxidants in the blood increased significantly
- Total and LDL (bad cholesterol) remained unchanged or increased marginally.
The whole egg has a combination of quality protein and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Some nutrition and medical circles still advise to eat the egg white only but so much of the nutrition is found in the yolk. It is popular belief that the yolk doesn’t contain protein, however, it has between 2.5 and 2.7 grams (depending on size) which is around 45 percent of the entire egg’s protein composition. The yolk also boasts vitamins A, D, E, B12, and K, riboflavin, folate, and iron.
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