I've recently been told to get my cholesterol down, or else go on statins, so this article caught my eye in this week's Science section of The New York Times:
"Egg yolks are high in cholesterol, but a new analysis adds to the evidence that they are not the dietary sin we once thought they were. The review suggests that for most people, eating one egg a day is not bad for the heart.
Researchers reviewed eight prospective studies including 263,938 subjects and pooled the data for analysis. They found no evidence that eating up to an egg a day increased the risk of heart disease or stroke. The results were the same for men and women and in all age ranges.
Diabetic patients were the only exception. For them, high egg consumption was associated with an increased risk of heart disease and a reduced risk for hemorrhagic stroke. But there were too few diabetics in the studies to draw reliable conclusions"
I eat a lot of eggs. For years I've found the evidence that eggs are unhealthy as unwarranted. If there is any effect, it is minor. There is a principle in medicine, it is that if the effect is real, then it will be proportional to the dosage. More eggs, more heart disease. This study combined the results of a bunch of studies to get more resolution on the question. The curve for the dose response for coronary heart disease is shown below.
I frankly don't think there is any effect. And while the authors did note an effect on a diabetic population, there were only four small studies that looked at diabetics, and you really cannot consider the results for diabetics as reliable.
As far as diabetics are concerned you would also have to control for A1C as a high A1C is associated with a higher incidence of heart disease irrespective of diet. To me eggs are an ideal diabetic food if you are restricting carbs and/or have a good A1C.
I eat a lot of eggs on my very low carb diet. My cholesterol is 123, with all the other numbers in their right places. It's the carbs that will often keep your cholesterol high, NOT eating fat or things with cholesterol in them.
Not me, it's that substitute thing again, I just don't care for! My cholesterol is ok; I have been taking Lipitor for many years but I don't have any issues with that.
Since my dx, I eat eggs most days of the week and my cholesterol numbers (never bad) have improved. I also eat plenty of nuts, sardines & salmon, and perhaps most importantly, exercise (nearly) every day.
I suppose I eat a half dozen eggs each week. My cholesterol is naturally high and I take statins to keep it in check. Statins work for me and I don't see what the big deal is that surrounds them. I try to stay away from very greasy foods and eat reasonably, leaning toward high protein foods.
I eat 2 eggs every day, most of my life, my numbers have never been high. If you have diabetes they just automatically place you at high risk. If you ever smoked your a smoker, even if you never inhaled and it was just that one time at a party....I also love bacon, cheese, and red meat.
Component Results
Component
Your Value
Standard Range
Units
CHOLESTEROL
138
120-199
mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDEs
145
50-150
mg/dL
HDL
64
>39
mg/dL
CHOL/HDL RATIO
2.2
<5.0
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL
74
95-160
mg/dL
(Note) Non-HDL Cholesterol = Total Cholesterol - HDL Cholesterol
National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) Guidelines
The reference ranges provided (effective 08/22/02) are based on ATP III Guidelines and are not population-based reference ranges using a population of healthy individuals.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Risk Factors*
--> Cigarette Smoking --> Hypertension (BP >= 140/90 mm Hg, or on hypertensive medication) --> Low HDL Cholesterol (<40 mg/dL) --> Family History of premature CHD [CHD in first degree relative (M < age 55; F < age 65)] --> Age (Men >= 45 years; Women >= 55 years)
I eat 2 eggs a day, for breakfast. Maybe I should cut back, arg!
FWIW, my mother told me eating egg whites is associated with some sort of health issue, so that wasn't good news to me, nor a solution either. However I do buy them in the quart size carton and add one egg, or if I cook them without adding an egg, I find adding Tumeric and or spinach (wilted with a bit of water) seems to color them yellow, yay! At least they look like the real deal, lol!
P.S. I love bacon, too!
P.P.S. I always cook my eggs in Avocado oil, it can take high heat and Avocado is good for us I'm told, hence the Avocado Oil...I'm lovin' it for cooking with and for use in cold foods, too.
i eat eggs every day, sometimes 4 or 5 at a time. I never used to eat eggs until getting D and changing my diet to get rid of the useless carbs. Since cutting carbs and upping fat/protein, my yearly cholesterol results have all been great. Like with so many things, conventional wisdom has missed the boat on their 'eggs are terrible for you' stance. Fortunately, it seems like recommendations on health and nutrition have slowly been changing over the last couple years.
and why would eggs be only bad for diabetics?? The only thing bad for diabetics is high blood sugar which is caused by carbs. Eggs are one of the best foods for diabetics, imo.
