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One food remains controversial more than almost any other: It's the egg. For decades, doctors warned people to avoid eating eggs because of the high cholesterol content of the yolk. They assumed that eating foods containing cholesterol would result in high blood levels of this fat. That, in turn, would lead to clogged coronary arteries and heart attacks.
The experts were wrong! Numerous studies have concluded that eating eggs does not elevate blood cholesterol. The most recent research is a study conducted at Duke University. The scientists assigned 140 volunteers to one of two groups. In one group, the participants consumed no more than two eggs a week. In the other group, people ate a dozen fortified eggs weekly. These eggs from chickens given special feed provide more omega-3 fats, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and lutein than ordinary eggs.
After four months, you might expect that people eating a dozen eggs weekly would have higher cholesterol. Instead, researchers found no elevations in LDL cholesterol and no drops in beneficial HDL cholesterol. The study was presented at the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology and has not been published.
Another recent analysis of the benefits or risks of eating eggs made use of long-term data from the Framingham Offspring Study (Current Developments in Nutrition, Feb. 22, 2024). Researchers evaluated dietary records and blood tests from 1,854 participants.
They found that the rest of a person's diet also made a difference. Men who ate a healthful high-fiber diet with fish had lower levels of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides if they ate more eggs. We don't know why these associations did not show up among the women in the study.
A study conducted in China found that people consuming as much as an egg a day over nine years were less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke (Heart, May 21, 2018). A different study conducted in China found a lower risk of stroke among men (but not women) who consumed eggs daily (Nutrients, April 7, 2023).
Despite such research, there are still some health care professionals who advise patients to avoid eggs. Some readers of this column, however, have followed their own path.
Judy says, "I'm almost 80, and I've been eating two eggs for breakfast ever since I was 11. At that age, I discovered that the gnawing hunger and weakness I always experienced mid-morning could be avoided if I ate eggs rather than cereal. Later, when granola became fashionable, I tried that. Eventually, I went back to eggs.
"I now eat three eggs for breakfast because I feel that I need more protein at my age. My cholesterol has always been over 250, so I select my doctors carefully to avoid being bullied about taking statins. My high HDL means the total cholesterol doesn't much matter. Indeed, I've never had the slightest problem with my heart."
As Judy notes, food fashions come and go. Even the American Heart Association has changed its tune on eggs. The AHA now notes, "The 2019 science advisory says healthy people can include up to a whole egg or the equivalent in their diets each day; given the nutritional benefits and convenience, older people with healthy cholesterol levels can have two."
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is "Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them."