Eggs

The Sunny Side of Eggs (Berkeley Wellness)
Eggs have a bad reputation because of their high cholesterol. But, in fact, eggs do not raise blood cholesterol in most people—and they may even be good for your heart in some ways.

You may be surprised to learn that dietary cholesterol, found in animal foods, raises blood cholesterol in only about one-third of people. And, as shown in some egg studies, dietary cholesterol causes the body to produce HDL (“good”) cholesterol along with LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in these “hyper-responders,” thus helping offset potential adverse effects. Moreover, the LDL particles that form are larger in size—and larger LDL particles are thought to be less dangerous than small ones. In studies at the University of Connecticut, for example, eating three eggs a day for 30 days increased cholesterol in susceptible people, but their LDL particles were larger, and there was no change in the ratio between LDL and HDL, which suggests no major change in coronary risk.

More significantly, eggs do not appear to contribute to heart disease in most people. A large pivotal study from Harvard in 1999 found no association between eggs and heart disease, except in people with diabetes. Studies since then have similarly vindicated eggs. The unsaturated fats and other nutrients, including B vitamins, in eggs may be beneficial to heart health.

Rethinking cholesterol advice
In light of these findings, recommendations about eggs have changed over the years, and cholesterol guidelines, in general, are being rethought. Though eggs are high in cholesterol—210 milligrams in the yolk of a large egg—the American Heart Association (AHA) has no specific limit on how many eggs you can eat, as long as you limit your total cholesterol consumption to 300 milligrams a day, on average (200 milligrams if you have heart disease, high cholesterol, or other coronary risk factors).

Many researchers believe that the AHA guidelines are too restrictive, however, and endorse a higher daily upper limit for cholesterol for healthy people. A more reasonable goal is 500 milligrams a day (but still 200 milligrams if you have risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes). That would allow for an egg a day—even two on some days—and still leave room for other sources of cholesterol. Countries such as Canada, England, and Australia don’t set any recommended upper limits for cholesterol, citing a lack of evidence that dietary cholesterol has a major impact on blood cholesterol.

Good for your eyes . . . and maybe your waist

• Egg yolks are a rich source of lutein and zeaxanthin, relatives of beta carotene that may help keep eyes healthy and have been linked to a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

• There’s some evidence that eggs promote satiety, due in part to their protein. In a new study in Nutrition Research, when the participants had scrambled eggs for breakfast, they felt fuller afterwards and consumed significantly fewer calories over the rest of the day, compared to when they ate a bagel-based breakfast with the same number of calories.