No yolk: Eating eggs lowers levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol | Health

By Stephen Beech

Eating eggs can actually reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol, according to new research.

Long blamed for high cholesterol, eggs have been beaten up for their assumed role in heart disease.

Now, Australian researchers have shown definitively that it’s not dietary cholesterol in eggs but rather the saturated fat in our diets – from items such as bacon and sausages – that’s the real heart health concern.

They found that eating two eggs a day – as part of a high cholesterol but low saturated fat diet – can reduce levels of LDL – or “bad” – cholesterol, and actually lower the risk of potentially deadly cardiovascular disease.

But eating a high-saturated fat diet and only one egg a week increases LDL levels.

In a world-first study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the University of South Australia team examined the independent effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on LDL cholesterol.

Lead researcher Professor Jon Buckley says it’s time to “rethink” the reputation of eggs.

He said, “Eggs have long been unfairly cracked by outdated dietary advice.

“They’re unique – high in cholesterol, yes, but low in saturated fat.

“Yet it’s their cholesterol level that has often caused people to question their place in a healthy diet.

“In this study, we separated the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat, finding that high dietary cholesterol from eggs, when eaten as part of a low saturated fat diet, does not raise bad cholesterol levels.

“Instead, it was the saturated fat that was the real driver of cholesterol elevation.”

Buckley added: “You could say we’ve delivered hard-boiled evidence in defence of the humble egg.

“So, when it comes to a cooked breakfast, it’s not the eggs you need to worry about – it’s the extra serve of bacon or the side of sausage that’s more likely to impact your heart health.”