Growing up, my family lived in fear of the demon Cholesterol. That was because my dad had too high a count and had to be on a low-cholesterol diet and for some reason (possibly my mom’s desire to cook just one evening meal) we all had to go through with it too. At the heart of a low-cholesterol diet was a fear of eggs. Specifically egg yolks, which we learned were little yellow cholesterol bombs. We learned how to separate the whites and scramble egg beaters. One day, whole eggs were declared okay again and my dad even learned how to turn them over easily so that he could have them for breakfast every morning.
But apparently eggs are bad again? “Now,” reports CNN, “a new study of more than 500,000 people has found they ate even part of a whole egg – with its cholesterol-laden yellow yoke. [sic] – increases the risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. In fact, the overall risk of death was up 7% for every extra half an entire egg eaten per day, according to the study published Tuesday in PLOS Medicine. “
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This directly contradicts a Harvard study last year that found that eating one egg a day would not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
So what gives? Can we eat eggs without dying or what? CNN spoke with several experts who pointed out that the study only asked about egg consumption without taking into account the rest of the subjects’ diet. Saturated fats have a much greater effect on LDL (low-density lipoproteins) in the blood – also known as the bad cholesterol – than foods that actually contain cholesterol, such as eggs.
“If someone replaces eggs with donuts, other refined starches and sugar or saturated fats, I prefer to eat eggs,” said Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. told CNN. “But for someone who really wants to be in optimal health, it is a better way to emphasize plant protein sources such as oatmeal and steel nuts.”
The PLOS The study also claimed that replacing protein with whole eggs reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 3%, but CNN’s experts remained questionable.
Riyaz Patel, a cardiologist consultant at University College London, thought there was not enough evidence in the study to justify the recommendation to eat protein. “I don’t think this study changes the general advice that for most people eggs can be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet unless advised not to do so for a specific medical or nutritional reason,” he said .