eggs and cholesterol

Amh32290

I just looked at the nutritional information on the back of my carton of eggs, 1 large grade A egg has 71% of the daily amount of cholesterol, everyone says having an egg and some fruit for breakfast is healthy, but with the much cholesterol i dont see how thats even possible.

Marll

Cholesterol is a non issue. While the government will have you believe that cholesterol is horrible, study after study as well as personal experience from myself and at least 6 friends that are eating low carb (read plenty of fat an cholesterol) have BETTER cholesterol profiles and overall blood work than before we were low carb. DItch the fruit and have a 2nd egg in my opinion

carrie_eggo

I just read this last night, so it was sticking in my mind
Quoting Lyle McDonald:

...what is often forgotten is that the body actually makes more cholesterol (in the liver) than most people would eat in a day. As well, the body tend to adapt to changing dietary cholesterol intakes. When you eat less dietary cholesterol, the body will make more; when you eat more, the body makes less.

And this is why a lot of the concern over dietary cholesterol per se is a bit misplaced; for most people the intake of dietary cholesterol has little to no impact on blood cholesterol on the first place. It’s worth mentioning that a certain percentage of people seem to be responders to dietary cholesterol intake in terms of how their blood cholesterol is affected.

Rather, it is the intake of specific types of triglycerides that seems to have a far larger role on blood cholesterol levels; exercise also plays a role and there are strong genetic factors which determine blood cholesterol levels as well.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/a-primer-on-dietary-fats-part-1.html

Bratch826

I completely agree with Marll. I have been doing a lot of reading about the Paleo way of eating, and many studies have been done debunking the whole cholesterol thought process. I reccomend you read Mark Sisson's book, called Primal Blueprint. There are numerous people who switch to this way of eating who had "high cholesterol", only to have it lower by following the paleo/caveman way of eating.

There is also pretty good argument to say that we here in USA are measuring cholesterol incorrectly.

Just my two cents. I am NOT reccoemending you swtich to this way of eating, but at least read about it. Its very fascinating, even beyond simply cholesterol.

Bratch

Marll

I highly suggest checking the two links below out, may totally change the way you look at these things:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/196879/fat-head

http://www.marksdailyapple.com

neanderthin

Cholesterol we eat is not the same thing as the cholesterol in our blood. the cholesterol we eat is just that, cholesterol. The cholesterol in our blood is carried in a container because cholesterol doesn't mix well with blood. These containers or capsules are called lipoproteins and come basically as HDL and LDL and these lipoproteins are produced by the liver and not by the cholesterol we eat. the cholsterol we eat gets processed and delivered to the liver , then is delivered to the blood and why it's a different thing altogether. Everyone (gov't, journalists, even doctors) have just confused the two processes.

bcattoes

Eggs and Heart Disease http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/eggs/

Long vilified by well-meaning doctors and scientists for their high cholesterol content, eggs are now making a bit of a comeback. While it's true that egg yolks have a lot of cholesterol—and so may weakly affect blood cholesterol levels—eggs also contain nutrients that may help lower the risk for heart disease, including protein, vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin, and folate.

A solid body of research shows that for most people, cholesterol in food has a much smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than does the mix of fats in the diet. Recent research has shown that moderate egg consumption—up to one a day—does not increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals (1, 2) and can be part of a healthy diet. (Make sure to store eggs in the fridge and cook them until the whites and yolks are firm, to prevent food-borne illness. For more tips on how to reduce your risk of salmonella from eggs, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website.)

People who have difficulty controlling their total and LDL cholesterol may want to be cautious about eating egg yolks and instead choose foods made with egg whites. The same is true for people with diabetes. In the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, heart disease risk was increased among men and women with diabetes who ate one or more eggs a day. (1) For people who have diabetes and heart disease, it is best to limit egg consumption to no more than three yolks per week.

This research doesn't give the green light to daily three-egg omelets. While a 2008 report from the ongoing Physicians' Health Study supports the idea that eating an egg a day is generally safe for the heart, it also suggests that going much beyond that could increase the risk for heart failure later in life. (3) You also need to pay attention to the "trimmings" that come with your eggs. To your cardiovascular system, scrambled eggs, salsa, and a whole wheat English muffin are a far different meal than scrambled eggs with cheese, sausages, home fries, and white toast.


References
1. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999; 281:1387-94.

2. Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006; 9:8-12.

3. Djousse L, Gaziano JM. Egg consumption and risk of heart failure in the Physicians' Health Study. Circulation. 2008; 117:512-6.