Not too long ago we posted about a study by researchers at Canada’s McMaster University that concluded, “no association was found between egg intake and blood cholesterol, its components or other risk factors.” Now a new U.S. study is backing up that finding…
Heart attack? Don’t blame Eggs…
Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health wanted to replicate the work of the McMaster team to confirm that ‘moderate’ Egg consumption doesn’t exacerbate your cholesterol issues. That’s an important discovery for those who have grown up with the ‘eggs for breakfast’ habit, folks who’ve been denying themselves their favourite day-starter for decades due to fears that they would run a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).
According to an abstract of the study, “The relationship between egg consumption and CVD risk has been a topic of intense debate in the scientific community in recent decades. Just in the past 12 months, three published studies have reported conflicting results.”
What they did
The Chan Team set up a data mining program analysing health data from 173,563 women and 90,214 men participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) who were free of CVD, type 2 diabetes, and cancer at the outset. The surveys followed up their assessment of participants’ health at regular intervals for up to 32 years.
What they found
The study, like the McMaster analysis, found no association between moderate Egg consumption and risk of CVD. It also confirmed the findings of a similar 1999 study led by Dr. Frank Hu, a co-author of the current study.
All three studies mentioned in this post defined ‘moderate consumption’ as ‘one Egg a day’.
The takeaway
Eggs can be part of a healthy diet. After all, they are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12, along with lesser amounts of half a dozen other esential nutrients. But the Team stressed that there are other foods that are arguably more important to include in a healthy breakfast, including Whole Grains (in Breads and non-processed Cereals), Fresh Fruits and Yogurt.
My take
Because have a family history of CVD and high cholesterol, my doctors have always kept a close watch on my blood test. I was first advised to cut out all dietary cholesterol – especially Eggs – in the effort to control my blood cholesterol. That didn’t work, so I was advised to start taking statin drugs to ensure my continued good health and a long life. I used to eat a lot of Eggs before the ‘prohibition’, and I never really got back to that level of intake after I started taking the statins, but I did start eating Eggs again in moderation, and I’ve had good reports from my medicals ever since. All my doctors (since the one who started me watching my cholesterol) have agreed that my family history and genetic inheritances are largely to blame for my cholesterol issues. I’m very happy to see another study that vindicates my love of Eggs!
~ Maggie J.