Why have eggs become almost synonymous with cholesterol and heart disease?

The famous Framingham Study findings released back in the early 70s identified high blood cholesterol as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Then, well-meaning doctors began speculating that if cholesterol was a major cause of heart disease, and eggs were a high dietary source of cholesterol, then it made sense that eating foods high in cholesterol could elevate the amount of circulating cholesterol in your blood.

Attitudes today have changed…

Cardiologist Dr. Elizabeth Klodas will tell you that dietary cholesterol is a scapegoat. She says, “It’s been known for years that the cholesterol you find in foods is NOT the biggest driver of blood cholesterol levels. It turns out that the vast majority of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream is manufactured inside your body — in response to the totality of your diet.”

That’s why some experts are realizing a more important consideration may be what else you’re eating with your eggs that isn’t part of a heart-healthy diet: buttered toast, bacon, and other processed meats.

Another important consideration, thanks to the results of the recent PROSPERITY trial, should also be what benefits you could be losing out on by avoiding eggs — especially when you need them most…

No harm to the heart and added benefits to boot

Eggs are a common and relatively inexpensive source of protein, a vital dietary component for older adults to prevent sarcopenia — the loss of muscle mass due to the aging process.

Aside from the obvious risks of falling and loss of mobility, research is linking sarcopenia to other devastating health complications including diabetes and heart disease.

This is one fact that prompted Dr. Nina Nouhravesh, a research fellow at the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina, to lead a new study that looked specifically at fortified eggs as they contain less saturated fat and additional vitamins and minerals, such as iodine, vitamin D, selenium, vitamin B2, 5 and 12, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Subjects of this small study were 140 patients aged 50 or older (the average age was 66) with cardiovascular disease or at high risk for it.

They were randomly assigned to eat 12 fortified eggs a week (cooked in whatever manner they chose) or to eat fewer than two eggs of any kind (fortified or not) per week.

Now, 12 eggs a week may seem like a lot. But the results were surprisingly positive…

The group eating 12 fortified eggs a week only saw a statistically insignificant lowering of their HDL and LDL cholesterol. But the big take-home message was eating that many eggs a week had no adverse effect on their blood cholesterol.

Not only did eating 12 fortified eggs a week not raise their cholesterol levels, but they also saw total cholesterol, LDL particle number and another lipid biomarker called apoB, reduced.

Other noteworthy reductions included high-sensitivity troponin (a marker of heart damage) and insulin resistance scores. Insulin resistance is a precursor to prediabetes that can lead to type 2 diabetes.

Another plus was that their vitamin B levels increased.

Eggs or elsewhere: Don’t skimp on valuable nutrition

According to Dr. Nouhravesh, “We know that cardiovascular disease is, to some extent, mediated through risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and increased BMI and diabetes. Dietary patterns and habits can have a notable influence on these and there’s been a lot of conflicting information about whether or not eggs are safe to eat, especially for people who have or are at risk for heart disease.

“This is a small study, but it gives us reassurance that eating fortified eggs is OK with regard to lipid effects over four months [the period of the study], even among a more high-risk population.”

By high-risk, Dr. Nouhravesh was referring to the subgroup of patients in her study — diabetics aged 65 or older, who saw a slight increase in HDL (good cholesterol) and a slight reduction in LDL (bad cholesterol).

If you don’t like eggs, be sure to get plenty of the nutrients found in fortified eggs, either through other dietary sources or supplementing, including…

Sources:

Eggs may not be bad for your heart after all — Eureka Alert

Eggs May Not Be Bad for Your Heart After All — American College of Cardiology