Earlier this decade, we were told by all the usual authorities that Eggs were not as bad for us as previously thought, and Red Meat was also less dangerous – although both contained a lot of demon cholesterol, which has long been associated with heart disease. Now, the experts say that may not be so…
Red Meat: So good… And, yet so bad – again?
Studies over the past decade or so apparently revealed that there was no direct correlation between dietary cholesterol (what we eat in out food) and blood cholesterol (the bad stuff that leads to clogged arteries and, from there to heart attack and stroke). The real culprit in the cholesterol story was our own metabolisms, which are supposed to manage the levels of stuff like cholesterol in our bodies. The takeaway was, we didn’t really have to worry about how much cholesterol we consumed in our food, but we did need to manage our metabolisms to control the cholesterol in our blood. Even the official government backed 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer limited how much dietary cholesterol or how many eggs folks should eat.
Now, new studies are warning that excess consumption of Eggs and Red Meat is, in fact, bad for us…
Eggs in the spotlight again
Researchers at Northwestern University conducted a data-mining study of dietary records on almost 30,000 adults of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, and all ages. Data were collected via dietary questionnaires and interviews over a span of up to 31 years.
“Our study showed if two people had exact same diet and the only difference in diet was eggs, then you could directly measure the effect of the egg consumption on heart disease,” study C0-author Dr. Norrina Allen said. “We found cholesterol, regardless of the source, was associated with an increased risk of heart disease.”
The average study participant consumed 300 mg of cholesterol a day and 3 -4 Eggs. And that was demonstrated to be too much, Allen said. “The take-home message is really about cholesterol, which happens to be high in eggs and specifically yolks. “As part of a healthy diet, people need to consume lower amounts of cholesterol. People who consume less cholesterol have a lower risk of heart disease.”
Red Meat a cholesterol hazard, too
Another study just released, by researchers at Loma Linda University in California, shows that even a little Red Meat in your diet is more dangerous than none at all.
The Loma Linda study looked at the dietary records of 96,000 7th Day Adventists members in Canada and the US, about half of whom are vegetarians, and compared the mortality rate of the vegetarians with those who did eat meat. Of special interest was the observation that those who did eat Meat only consumed an average of 2 oz. / 60 g of Red Meat per day. Of the 7,900 deaths over the 11-year span of the study, 2,600 of the reported deaths were due to cardiovascular disease, and over 1,800 were from cancer.
After all the number crunching, “the total intake of red and processed meat was associated with relatively higher risks of total and cardiovascular disease deaths.”
Dr. Michael Orlich, Co-author of the study, says, “Our findings give additional weight to the evidence already suggesting that eating red and processed meat may negatively impact health and lifespan.”
My take…
So… Who’s right? The pro-Red Meat and Eggs people or the Anti-Red Meat and Eggs people?
I can see validity in the findings from both sides. But I hope that the folks who say Red Meat (in moderation) is okay are right, in the end.
Then, there’s the fact that we can easily diagnose high blood cholesterol and treat it effectively. That, to me, indicates there’s no reason to panic, much less quibble over small amounts of Red Meat.
On top of all that, my family and I are eating less Red Meat than we used to, just because of the high cost. I think a lot of other middle class families are doing the same. I see no reason to change our habits vis à vis Red Meat.
We may eat Eggs in ‘Egg dishes’ a couple of times a month, and the other Eggs we consume are always diluted in recipes where they are used as binders (and therefore one Egg is spread over 4-6 servings of whatever we’re eating). I’d love to eat more Eggs, because they contain a lot of good things – vitamins, minerals and protein. And they’re still among the cheapest sources of concentrated nutrition power available, at around $0.25 per serving (one Grade A Large Egg). Up to now, I thought the cholesterol was no longer an issue. Now I’m not so sure. But I’m not going to let these new mortality studies stop me eating Eggs in moderation, either.
~ Maggie J.