Eggs have always been accused of raising cholesterol in the blood, and specialists have often recommended refraining from eating it or reducing it significantly, especially in cholesterol patients. What is the latest data on this?
Researchers wrote in the French newspaper Le Point lepoint, an article in which they confirmed that the consumption of eggs is still relatively limited in France compared to other animal products, due to what they considered a “bad reputation” attached to eggs wrongly by a previous study saying that it raises cholesterol.
On average, the French consume 220 eggs per year (about 11 kilograms) compared to 84.5 kilograms of meat, according to what was written in the French newspaper mentioned by Geoffrey Zoll, Anouk Charlotte and Noah Dadon, researchers from the University of Strasbourg, France.
The researchers said that it is certain that eggs are a food rich in cholesterol (100 grams of eggs (the equivalent of two eggs) contain 398 milligrams in yolk), however, recent studies have shown that cholesterol does not increase when we consume it reasonably and when it forms part of a good dish.
cholesterol from food
The report emphasized that cholesterol resulting from food is not a problem in itself, but rather what we must be wary of is the level of cholesterol in the blood, as the presence of too much of it in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) is one of the heart risk factors, which can lead to disease. Associated with atherosclerotic plaques that develop inside blood vessels.
The French researchers add that the cholesterol in foodstuffs is not very important, because 70% of the body’s cholesterol is produced internally by the liver, and only 30% comes from food, and the excess is eliminated through the secretion of the bile ducts, so the human body establishes a balance between internal cholesterol and that Which it provides through food, and if there is an increase in the consumption of cholesterol, its production within the body will tend to decrease.
Thus, the true link between increased dietary cholesterol and increased blood cholesterol has not yet been proven, and several studies have shown that dietary cholesterol intake has no effect on cholesterol levels in healthy people.
Hence, in France, recommendations (dating back to 1960) that limited dietary cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams per day were abandoned.
What is a healthy amount of eggs?
Since the 1990s, the vast majority of studies have found that eating one egg a day has no effect on the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in healthy people, the report said.
But as a precaution, people at risk of heart disease - such as people with diabetes and heart failure - should limit eggs, especially if their diet remains very rich in sugars and fats, which it should not be.
On the other hand, another study conducted in Greece showed that consuming more than 5 eggs per week does not increase the risk of developing dyslipidemia when combined with a healthy diet rich in fiber, low in saturated fat and no dietary intake.
It is not easy to determine the maximum number of eggs that are consumed per day, because this depends on a large number of factors, and it is important to look at the nature of the components of the meal in which eggs are consumed, for example, eating an egg in the morning accompanied by bacon rich in saturated fatty acids and white bread It is clearly harmful behavior, because this combination of sugars, bad fats and cholesterol-rich foods is an explosive combination to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Conversely, if eggs are eaten for breakfast but this time with a slice of whole wheat bread, a slice of salmon (rich in omega-3s) and herbal tea (sugar-free) this is a combination of the good fats.
Lots of confusion about eggs
In turn, the Heart Foundation of New Zealand says that the common belief that cholesterol in egg yolk affects heart health is a misconception, although it actually contains a high percentage of cholesterol, saturated fatty acids - such as those in meat and processed foods - have a greater impact on cholesterol levels. in the blood.
She adds that eggs are a nutritious whole food, an inexpensive source of protein and contain other nutrients such as carotenoids, vitamins D, B12, selenium and choline.
When eating eggs it is important to pay special attention to the foods that accompany them, such as white bread, butter, salt or processed meats such as bacon or sausage, which are not good for our hearts.
6 eggs per week
The Heart Foundation of New Zealand says that based on the findings of the "Eggs and Heart" evidence paper, those at increased risk of heart disease can eat up to 6 eggs per week as part of a heart-healthy diet, and stresses that there is no fear that this amount is a cause at risk of heart disease.
For a healthy population in general, eggs can be part of a healthy eating pattern without fear of causing heart disease, and it is recommended to increase the intake of vegetables and whole, less processed foods, and reduce the intake of saturated fats rather than restricting eggs.
The foundation said that based on a comprehensive review of current research, the general evidence for the effect of eggs on blood cholesterol was deemed inaccurate.
While the evidence isn't clear enough to say there's no association between dietary cholesterol and heart disease, it's not strong enough to continue with previous recommendations that limited eggs to 3 times a week.
whole eggs
In turn, Jeff Custari wrote at Eat This, Not That that it is not true that eating whole eggs increases the risk of heart disease even though they are high in cholesterol.
In 2015 the American Dietetic Guidelines Advisory Committee, a federal group that provides scientific advice on dietary guidelines, announced that extensive research had shown no evidence of a role for dietary cholesterol in cardiovascular disease.
One part of this research that the group looked at was a 1999 study that showed no increase in heart disease even among healthy people who ate one egg every day, a total of 7 eggs per week.
As a result, the Dietary Guidelines (2015-2020) for Americans eliminated the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams per day, and subsequent data supports this updated guidance.
In a study published in 2018 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted on people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes - people who are usually considered to be at higher risk of heart disease - researchers found that those who ate at least 12 eggs a week for 3 months While following a healthy weight loss diet, they had no increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Eggs are not necessarily bad for cholesterol
Eggs are the most concentrated source of dietary cholesterol in our diets, as there are about 186 milligrams of cholesterol in one egg, and all of it is concentrated in the yolk, Nina Polano quoted in the Insider website, quoting nutrition advisor at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Sonya Angelone.
But in 2013 the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology were unable to find convincing scientific evidence that reducing dietary cholesterol had an effect on "bad" LDL cholesterol (LDL) in the arteries.
A 2020 study in the British Medical Journal found that people who ate about one egg a day were no more likely to have coronary artery disease or stroke than people who didn't eat eggs.
Commenting on the study, nutritionist Carrie Rexton concluded that eggs do not pose a risk to cholesterol levels.
What experts have discovered is that saturated and trans fats may contribute more to cholesterol levels than the amount of cholesterol you eat, because most cholesterol (about 80%) is produced in the body, according to Harvard Medical School. Nutrition experts believe that these fats are actually worse than cholesterol found in food.
Some nutrition experts believe that the diet in the Mediterranean basin - in which eggs are an essential component - is one of the most useful diets, and they stress that eggs can fit into a healthy diet, and that sticking to about 4 eggs per week is a good thing.