If you like eggs, you can eat them without worrying about raising your cholesterol, according to a new study.
- Eggs don’t raise cholesterol levels, a new study shows.
- Indeed, cholesterol levels over a 4-month period were similar in people who ate 12 fortified eggs per week compared to those who did not consume eggs.
- Scientists would now like to carry out new, more in-depth research on a larger sample.
Eggs have a reputation for being bad for cholesterol and heart health. But it would not be at all deserved according to a study by a team from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham which will be presented on April 6, 2024 at congress of theAmerican College of Cardiology. Whether eaten hard, scrambled or fried, the food does not increase cholesterol levels.
12 eggs per week for 4 months
To measure the effect of a diet rich in eggs on the heart, researchers brought together 140 patients suffering from or at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomly assigned to eat 12 enriched eggs per week, cooked any way they wanted, or follow an egg-free diet (less than two per week) for four months.
Good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) levels as well as other markers of cardiovascular health were measured at the beginning and end of the trial. Analysis of the results showed a drop of -0.64 mg/dL in good cholesterol and -3.14 mg/dL in bad cholesterol in the enriched egg group. In addition, the team also noted a numerical reduction in total cholesterol, LDL particle counts, another lipid biomarker called apolipoprotein B (apoB), high-sensitivity troponin (a marker of cardiac damage), and scores of insulin resistance in the enriched egg group as well as an increase in vitamin B.
Heart health: eggs don’t raise cholesterol
Although the differences observed are not statistically significant, the results clearly show that consuming eggs every day has no adverse effect on cholesterol, according to the researchers. “This is a small study, but it reassures us that eating fortified eggs is acceptable in terms of four-month lipid effects, even among a higher-risk population.”explains Nina Nouhravesh of the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham and lead author of the study.
Furthermore, scientists would like to carry out new, more in-depth research and on a larger sample, because “Subgroup analyzes revealed numerical increases in HDL cholesterol and reductions in LDL cholesterol in patients 65 years or older and those with diabetes in the enriched egg group.”
Why do eggs have a bad reputation?
Eggs are a good source of protein as well as vitamin B12, D, A, E and K. So where does their poor nutritional reputation come from? It comes partly from the fact that egg yolks contain cholesterol. But the main reason for this association, according to researchers, is on the plate. Indeed, eggs are generally accompanied by products that are not good for the heart such as bacon, processed meats, buttered toast, etc.