Eggs ‘linked to increased risk’ of heart disease

Eggs and cholesterol have been a contentious topic for long. New research from Northwestern Medicine has reignited the debate. The finding is that those who eat three or four eggs a day or any equivalent of 300mg of dietary cholesterol had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause. It is estimated that one large egg contains about 186mg of dietary cholesterol in the yolk. One of the authors, Norrina Allen, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement that as part of a healthy diet, people need to consume lower amounts of cholesterol. The study was published in medical journal JAMA.The research team pooled data on nearly 30,000 racially and ethnically diverse adults between 1985 and 2016. Participants were asked about their dietary habits over the last month or year in an extensive questionnaire. By the end of the follow-up period, the group had experienced 5,400 cardiovascular events and 6,132 deaths from any cause. An analysis found that consuming 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day was associated with 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 18% higher risk of death. The researchers found that eating three to four eggs per week was linked to a 6% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 8% higher risk of any cause of death. Compared with previous studies, “this report is far more comprehensive, with enough data to make a strong statement that eggs and overall dietary cholesterol intake remain important in affecting the risk” of heart disease and death, Dr Robert H Eckel of University of Colorado School of Medicine writes in an editorial published along with the study. He was not involved in the research.It’s important to note that no one, including the study authors, is saying you need to cut eggs completely out of your diet. “We want to remind people there is cholesterol in eggs, specifically yolks, and this has a harmful effect,” said Allen. A major limitation of the study is participants’ long-term eating patterns weren’t assessed. Other animal products such as red meat, processed meat and high-fat dairy products (butter or whipped cream) also have high cholesterol content, said lead author Wenze Zhong, a postdoctoral fellow in preventive medicine at Northwestern. Based on the study, people should keep dietary cholesterol intake low by reducing cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs and red meat in their diet. But don’t completely banish eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods from meals, Zhong said, because eggs and red meat are good sources of important nutrients such as essential amino acids and iron. Instead, choose egg whites rather than whole eggs or eat whole eggs in moderation. Egg whites remain a much healthier choice than the whole egg, full of protein and having no cholesterol. Those who crave the taste of a yolk can always use three or four egg whites mixed with one yolk. Moderation is the key.