Perfectly balanced proteins, antioxidants, omega 3s and an inimitable taste in all their forms: eggs are our friends. Moreover, the French eat more than 200 per year and per capita. The problem ? Because of their high cholesterol content, they would considerably increase the cardiovascular risks.
So, should we continue to eat omelettes or not? We take stock of a complex debate that has been raging for many years.
those who say yes
According to a study conducted in China between 2004 and 2008 and published by the British Medical Journal, you can continue to eat eggs with your eyes closed. Why ? Quite simply because daily consumption would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 18%. Better still: they would also reduce the risk of stroke by 26% and that of suffering from ischemic heart disease (i.e. heart failure linked to partially clogged arteries) by 28%.
And that’s not all. According to another study, published by theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2018, eating a dozen eggs a week would also not increase these risks in people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. “Yes eggs are high in dietary cholesterol […] this study supports existing research which shows that their consumption has little effect on blood cholesterol levels“, then explained Doctor Nick Fuller, pilot of the study.
Integrated into a healthy diet (i.e. without saturated fats), eggs and their micronutrients could even, according to the expert, “help regulate fat and carbohydrate intake, promote healthy pregnancies and improve the health of the eyes, blood vessels or heart.”
Everything would go for the best in the best of worlds, then? Not so sure.
those who say no
While the link between egg consumption and increased cholesterol risk is often debated, uUne recently conducted study by the University of South Australia, reveals that people who regularly consume one or more eggs a day also increase their risk of diabetes. Conducted in partnership with China Medical University and Qatar University between 1991 and 2009 among 8,545 adults aged 18 and over, this is the first study to assess egg consumption in such a large sample of people. It indicates that daily egg consumption increases the risk of diabetes by 60%.
Published in the Journal of American Medical Association in March 2019, another recent study claims that consuming 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day (an egg contains about 186 mg on average) would increase the risk of developing heart disease by 17%.
A finding that is debated in the United States, since even the authors of the research recognize the limits of their method, based on the food memories of its 30,000 participants. On the other hand, Professor Andrew Mente, head of the epidemiology program at the Population Health Research Institute, explains this to Runner’s World: “The main hypothesis is that eggs raise your bad cholesterol, and the more you eat, the worse it is. linked to a reduction in LDL, the bad cholesterol. There seems to be a contradiction with the results.”
In short, you will have understood, the greatest specialists in the matter not necessarily agreeing with each other, the best thing is still to continue to eat eggs, but in moderation.
Which ones to choose?
The content of the egg depends on the feed of the hens and their living conditions. We must, without hesitation, prefer eggs from organic or free-range chickens which can be up to twice as rich in good fatty acids and contain three times as many vitamins. You can also choose eggs from the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur line, made from gallinaceans fed with flax seeds, and very rich in omega 3 fatty acids and other beneficial unsaturated fatty acids.
How to choose ? You have to look at the first number of the code indicated on the shell. 0 = organic; 1 = free-range; 2 = hen raised on the floor or in an aviary; 3 = caged hen (battery). The mention “extra fresh” can be used until the 9th day after laying (with the laying date and the 9-day expiry date affixed to the packaging).
Read also :
- The egg, protein virtuoso
- Eggs don’t deserve their bad reputation
