Daily consumption of this traditional breakfast food might reduce your cholesterol levels.
The latest research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that eating two eggs a day could help lower your levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol, provided the overall diet is low in saturated fat[1][2][3][4].
Key findings include:
- Egg cholesterol itself does not increase LDL cholesterol levels; rather, dietary saturated fat is the main driver of LDL elevation[1][3][4].
- In a controlled study with 61 healthy adults, three diets were tested: one high in both saturated fat and cholesterol, one high in saturated fat but low in cholesterol, and one high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat (including two eggs per day). Only the high-cholesterol, low-saturated-fat diet reduced LDL cholesterol[1].
- Eggs are unique in being high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, which likely explains their beneficial effect when eaten with a low saturated fat diet[2][3][4].
- Researchers, led by Prof. Jon Buckley from the University of South Australia, emphasize that the negative heart health effects often attributed to eggs are more likely due to accompanying high saturated fat foods, such as bacon or sausage, not eggs themselves[2][3].
This research challenges decades of advice to limit egg consumption due to cholesterol concerns, suggesting instead that eggs can be part of a heart-healthy diet if saturated fat intake remains low. Prof Jon Buckley, the study's lead researcher, believes that the messaging around eggs and cholesterol needs to be clearer, as some are still recommending that people with elevated LDL avoid consuming eggs[5].
Buckley suggests that dietary cholesterol intake has been unfairly vilified due to the difficulty in separating the independent effect of saturated fat in previous studies[6]. The study found that a diet rich in eggs can lower LDL cholesterol levels, especially when the diet is low in saturated fat[7].
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often referred to as the "bad" kind, is a fatty substance in the blood that can clog arteries and raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. The study did not find that egg consumption increases LDL cholesterol levels[8].
The study, which involved participants with healthy cholesterol following three diets for five weeks, one of which included two eggs per day, was led by Prof Jon Buckley[9]. The egg-rich diet also improved other blood lipids (fatty substances in the blood) linked to heart health, although more research is needed to fully understand those changes[10].
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621 [10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33249621
- The latest research in the field of science, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, indicates that consuming two eggs daily could potentially aid in reducing 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels, as long as the overall diet is low in saturated fat.
- The unique composition of eggs, being high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, could explain their beneficial impact when consumed as part of a low saturated fat diet.
- This study, conducted by Prof. Jon Buckley and his team from the University of South Australia, challenges conventional wisdom about limiting egg consumption due to cholesterol concerns, suggesting that eggs can be included in a heart-healthy diet, provided saturated fat intake remains low.
- The research further suggests that dietary cholesterol may have been unjustly criticized, as the negative effects on heart health often linked to eggs might be more associated with high saturated fat foods, rather than eggs themselves. This calls for clearer communication about eggs and cholesterol to the public.
Even though this research predominantly focuses on cholesterol levels, it's also important to consider other factors related to health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, therapies-and-treatments, and nutrition while maintaining a balanced diet.
