Eggs, cholesterol

samandlucysmum
samandlucysmum Posts: 320
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
My husband and I disagreed on how many eggs I have a day, I have 1 a day for breakfast, as it keeps me going til lunch, hes said I was eating too many, so I did some searching, and came up with this;

http://www.bhf.org.uk/default.aspx?page=12920

Replies

  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    Naaah, awesome source of protein so as long as it's in your calorie limit, go for it!
  • ednawhatnot
    ednawhatnot Posts: 93 Member
    I have between two and four eggs a day but since I don't eat meat and there's not much processed food or dairy in my diet I haven't really given cholesterol a second thought. I think the warnings about cholesterol in eggs are quite outdated though.
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
    I usually have an egg for breakfast a couple of days a week. My problem with my weight was I tended to over do things, overeat mostly. But if I made, say a cheesy omelette, I'd load it with butter and mature cheddar and have more butter and cheddar on top!. So I do agree with the main points of the article you mentioned.

    As an aside, I will never understand why folks discard the yolks of eggs when making omelettes or scrambled eggs or eating eggs in general :ohwell: but then that's just me!
  • I'm with you. We have chickens, so we control the quality of our eggs. But the truth of the matter is the cholesterol from eggs is not directly correlated to our cholesterol. It is not the same kind... I eat somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 eggs a week on average, and my blood cholesterol is fabulous. My LDL (bad cholesterol) went from 109 to 69 (normal range is 70 to 100, and the lower the better) eating 10 eggs per week and an otherwise low fat diet. The change was the "otherwise low fat diet." I had gone from 242 pounds to 210 pounds. Since then, I have gone on to lose another 60 pounds.

    It isn't the eggs... They are a perfect little source of protein, the right size, versatile, quick and easy.
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
    the cholesterol in eggs does not affect the 'bad' cholesterol in humans. load up!
  • Dexy_
    Dexy_ Posts: 593 Member
    I've had 4-5 egg whites with 1-2 whole eggs for breakfast almost EVERY morning for months. I had my cholesterol checked the other week and it was fine, and bad cholesterol runs in my family!
  • Bekzness
    Bekzness Posts: 122
    The responses in this thread make me happy...

    I love eggs but my mum is always concerned about me having more than 3 a week due to my family's high cholesterol history.

    I was last checked a couple of years ago and my Good Cholesterol was low and so was my Bad... Does eating more eggs increase the good stuff? I hate oily fish and nuts so am pretty screwed otherwise...lol!

    I did a home test a few weeks ago which showed I was just over what was considered healthy... think it was 5.8, but that was total Cholesterol so its hard to say what my real levels are from that!
  • ccarre81
    ccarre81 Posts: 134 Member
    I see a cholesterol specialist since I've had high numbers since I was a kid. My father's side of the family is hugely affected by heart disease.

    My specialist said that eggs can be incorporated into a healthy daily diet, however, those that have histories of high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes should limit their cholesterol intake to 200mg a day. One large egg contains about 185mg so I definitely can't have one a day. I might have 2 during the week... I use egg substitutes when I want the benefits of eggs without going over my cholesterol intake.

    She also noted that cholesterol consumed through your diet and how much that effect that has on cholesterol levels will vary from person to person.

    So although they are good for most people, those considered at risk should reconsider the "egg a day" theory.

    Just my 02.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    My husband and I disagreed on how many eggs I have a day, I have 1 a day for breakfast, as it keeps me going til lunch, hes said I was eating too many, so I did some searching, and came up with this;

    http://www.bhf.org.uk/default.aspx?page=12920

    Eggs are good, the cholesterol in them and "how bad it is supposed to be for you" has since been debunked.

    For three months I ate two eggs per day for breakfast, my cholesterol at the beginning was 5.6, after three months it was measured at 3.9 - well below any danger level and lower than what it had been when I ate no eggs.

    Eggs are a wonderful source of nutrition. Most of the nutrition is in the yolk, so don't be afraid to eat both the white and the yolk.
  • bftank
    bftank Posts: 1
    I see a cholesterol specialist since I've had high numbers since I was a kid. My father's side of the family is hugely affected by heart disease.

    My specialist said that eggs can be incorporated into a healthy daily diet, however, those that have histories of high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes should limit their cholesterol intake to 200mg a day. One large egg contains about 185mg so I definitely can't have one a day. I might have 2 during the week... I use egg substitutes when I want the benefits of eggs without going over my cholesterol intake.

    She also noted that cholesterol consumed through your diet and how much that effect that has on cholesterol levels will vary from person to person.

    So although they are good for most people, those considered at risk should reconsider the "egg a day" theory.

    Just my 02.


    you might look into familial cholesterolemia. turns out my family has a history of heart problems because of this genetic disorder that doesn't allow our bodies to process the ldl cholesterol (the bad stuff). this means cholesterol just builds from birth leading to high cholesterol at an early age. at 19 my cholesterol was off the charts despite being a very active string bean. it's actually why i am here.
  • this may sound quite crazy but i have 5 to 12 eggs most days and everythings A ok i love eggs
  • NAcetoLang
    NAcetoLang Posts: 517 Member
    I would be really happy to find out I can skip the egg white omelets and go for the real thing :) Does anyone have any resources for me on this eggs vs cholesterol theory being debunked? Not trying to disagree, but every bit of info from my doc and other resources (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/HQ00608/ is a good example)... indicates too many egg yolks are bad for you if you have high cholesterol. I appreciate any info you can add please.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Whether scientists think the cholesterol in eggs is bad for you seems to depend on the day, so I would lean towards restricting the number of eggs but not making yourself crazy about it.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Eggs are food from the gods ... Eat up ... http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/how-to-improve-cholesterol/
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    My husband and I disagreed on how many eggs I have a day, I have 1 a day for breakfast, as it keeps me going til lunch, hes said I was eating too many, so I did some searching, and came up with this;

    http://www.bhf.org.uk/default.aspx?page=12920

    I have just eaten three eggs, boiled whites and yolk and I do that most days - it is fine.

    Tell your husband that it is very nice of him to be concerned about you regarding eggs, but 1 egg per day is nowhere near too many (unless you have a medical condition that would inhibit you eating them).

    Eggs are a wonderful food and they definitely help keep you full, that is why I too, eat them for brekkie.

    Continue eating your egg(s), they are a healthy food.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    I would be really happy to find out I can skip the egg white omelets and go for the real thing :) Does anyone have any resources for me on this eggs vs cholesterol theory being debunked? Not trying to disagree, but every bit of info from my doc and other resources (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/HQ00608/ is a good example)... indicates too many egg yolks are bad for you if you have high cholesterol. I appreciate any info you can add please.

    http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

    The yolks have more nutrition and more taste - Enjoy them!
  • marshallexi
    marshallexi Posts: 162 Member
    I was told by my nutritionist to eat as many as I like! I generally have one a day (sometimes 2). 10 / 12 a week is my average.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Dietary cholesterol has very little impact IF ANY AT ALL on your blood serum cholesterol. Eat the eggs. I eat a ton of eggs every day.
  • MeDoula
    MeDoula Posts: 233 Member
    From the research I did, I can ditto the other "pro egg" posters. I would also encourage you to do some research regarding saturated fats and it's benefits since this website talks about how horrible they are.
  • heatgal976
    heatgal976 Posts: 53 Member
    I couldn't live without eggs. I eat at least 4-6 eggs per week. I had blood work done a little bit back and the doctor told me my cholesterol level was excellent. Now everyone's body is different and others have to watch their egg intake. But I eat a well-balanced diet that does not include a lot of red meat with vegetarian meals throw in weekly, which I think helps the situation.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    According to an article at the Mayo Clinic site, "eating four egg yolks or fewer on a weekly basis hasn't been found to increase your risk of heart disease." Some years ago, I remember advice that we should eat no more than two egg yolks a week, but none was better. So I guess that's progress. :) I personally eat eggs two or three times a week. It may be, though, that some people are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and need to watch their egg intake. If you're under a cardiologist's care, ask him/her.

    Here are a couple of good articles on eggs and cholesterol:

    http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/7301/title/Reevaluating_Eggs_Cholesterol_Risks" (Science News)
    http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley/feature/the-sunny-side-of-eggs (Berkeley Wellness Letter)
  • margo36
    margo36 Posts: 222 Member
    I eat at least two a day and I come from a family with heart disease history. All my family have high cholesterol apart from me. Mine is checked annually because of my family history.
  • NAcetoLang
    NAcetoLang Posts: 517 Member
    I would be really happy to find out I can skip the egg white omelets and go for the real thing :) Does anyone have any resources for me on this eggs vs cholesterol theory being debunked? Not trying to disagree, but every bit of info from my doc and other resources (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/HQ00608/ is a good example)... indicates too many egg yolks are bad for you if you have high cholesterol. I appreciate any info you can add please.

    http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

    The yolks have more nutrition and more taste - Enjoy them!

    Thank you for the information- that was definitely a good read, even though I am still a bit skeptical and will have to discuss with my doctor and nutritionist. I do have high cholesterol so can't take any chances.

    This board has been very uninformative- I am so glad I started checking out the message boards here. :)
  • NAcetoLang
    NAcetoLang Posts: 517 Member
    According to an article at the Mayo Clinic site, "eating four egg yolks or fewer on a weekly basis hasn't been found to increase your risk of heart disease." Some years ago, I remember advice that we should eat no more than two egg yolks a week, but none was better. So I guess that's progress. :) I personally eat eggs two or three times a week. It may be, though, that some people are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and need to watch their egg intake. If you're under a cardiologist's care, ask him/her.

    Here are a couple of good articles on eggs and cholesterol:

    http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/7301/title/Reevaluating_Eggs_Cholesterol_Risks" (Science News)
    http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley/feature/the-sunny-side-of-eggs (Berkeley Wellness Letter)

    Great stuff...... I think with anything there should be moderation and balance.
This discussion has been closed.