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Eat for Health
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- MYTH # 1. EATING EGGS CAUSES HEART DISEASE
- MYTH #2. DRINKING LOW-FAT MILK PROTECTS AGAINST HEART DISEASE AND WEIGHT GAIN
- MYTH #3. A VERY LOW SALT DIET IS GOOD FOR HEALTH
- MYTH #4. RED MEAT IS UNHEALTHY AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED
- MYTH #5. A LOW-SATURATED FAT DIET PROTECTS AGAINST CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
- MYTH #6. INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY FOR LOSING A LOT OF WEIGHT
- MYTH #7. A LOW-FAT DIET IS THE BEST DIET FOR LOSING WEIGHT
- WHY COUNTING CARBS IS MORE EFFECTIVE FOR LOSING WEIGHT THAN COUNTING CALORIES
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MYTH # 1. EATING CHOLESTEROL PROMOTES HEART DISEASE
EATING EGGS CAUSES HEART DISEASE
In about 20-30% of people, blood cholesterol levels do go up after eating a lot of cholesterol, for example from eating a lot of eggs, so being careful about one's intake of eggs sounds like good advice for preventing heart disease.
But is it true?
A recent meta-analysis of 8 articles found no association between egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease or stroke, and a higher intake of eggs (one egg per day or more) was not associated with these conditions. (A meta-analysis is an analysis that combines the results of different studies thereby providing a statistically more powerful single study). The only exception was for diabetics who showed a slight increase in coronary risk from eating more than 1 egg a day. Therefore, provided you have no tendency to diabetes, it is unlikely that a modest egg intake presents any risk to your health.
Dietary cholesterol does indeed raise blood cholesterol levels, but it also increases HDL cholesterol (the "good cholesterol"), so that the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol remains unchanged. In addition, dietary cholesterol reduces the amount of small LDL particles in the circulation. Small LDL particles, in contrast to larger LDL particles, are thought to be particularly atherogenic. Hence, egg intake does not produce an unfavorable blood lipid pattern.
Why is this important? Eggs are filling and are useful for controlling body weight. If you eat an egg for breakfast, for example, you may be less inclined to fill yourself up with a highly-refined breakfast cereal.
If you find all this hard to believe, check out the references below. The first reference is quite compelling. The second reference is the meta-analysis.
References:
Eat for Health
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