For years, folks have been afraid of eggs, and how they are “bad” for cholesterol and LDL. Long gone are the days where people drank them raw like Sylvester Stallone did in “Rocky” and, no, I don’t recommend you do that. Rocky did it to build muscle mass, but just so you know, the practice of eating raw eggs is about 120 years old. Today, some bodybuilders use liquid egg whites to avoid salmonella contamination.
Today’s focus is on eggs and whether or not they raise risk of heart disease or stroke. The rationale is that eggs are high in cholesterol, and hypercholesterolemia increases stroke. Let’s see what the research claims.
One hard-boiled egg contains 187 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol. One scrambled egg has about 169 mg natural cholesterol. Data accumulated from epidemiological studies suggests an inverse relationship, meaning the more eggs you eat, the higher your risk for stroke. However, the evidence of the relationship is quite limited, and has not deterred me from eating them. Millions of people have, however, and are still running scared from the egg.
There is brand new research, just published in the May 16, 2019, issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The aim of the study was to determine the association of eggs (and cholesterol intake) with risk of stroke. It was conducted in 1,950 middle-aged men from Finland. Neither egg consumption, nor cholesterol intake was associated with stroke incidence. The gene that influences cholesterol metabolism (ApoE4) was accounted for. The lack of an association between eggs and stroke is great news for egg lovers.
The Journal also published an earlier meta-analysis in 2016, in which scientists pored through seven different studies and compiled the statistics. Their findings came as a shock to many. Let me just quote right out of the study so you can interpret it as you wish: “Based on the results of this meta-analysis, consumption of up to one egg daily may contribute to a decreased risk of total stroke, and daily egg intake does not appear to be associated with risk of CHD (coronary heart disease).”
In other words, the data reveals that eggs might lower risk of stroke, not raise them like everyone is telling you. I’m 54 at the time of this writing and so I can hear Sergeant Gomer Pyle in my head saying, “Surprise, surprise!”
What’s so important here, and one of the messages that I am trying to give you is to stop worrying so much about food. Just enjoy real food, eat wisely, avoid chemicals and refined foods. And unless you are vegan, go ahead and eat the eggs.
