Often pointed out, this food has a slightly positive impact on cholesterol, even in people at high cardiovascular risk.
The occurrence of cardiovascular illnesses like stroke or heart attack is favored by well-known risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking, sedentary lifestyle… But also by a cholesterol level that is too high, which is medically called “hypercholesterolemia”. For this reason, a diet too high in cholesterol directly impacts our cardiovascular risk. Often singled out for being rich in cholesterol, eggs are ultimately not that bad for the heart, even in people at high cardiovascular risksuggest researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute in a study presented at the annual congress of theAmerican College of Cardiology.
A small reduction in cholesterol levels
To reach this conclusion, Researchers have studied 140 patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease : they had all suffered a cardiovascular event or they presented two risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased BMI or diabetes. All participants were aged 50 or over (mean age: 66 years) and half were women. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group had to eat 12 enriched eggs (especially omega-3) per week (cooked in the manner of their choice: boiled, scrambled, fried…) and the second group had to eat less than two eggs (enriched or not) per week. After 4 months, the researchers assessed cholesterol levels (HDL and LDL, the “good” and “bad” cholesterol), lipid, cardiometabolic and inflammatory biomarkers as well as the vitamin and mineral levels of each participant. The results showed:
► A reduction of -0.64 mg/dL HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) in people who ate 12 eggs per week compared to the other group. As a reminder, an HDL cholesterol level is considered high when it is greater than 0.4 g/l
► A -3.14 mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) in people who ate 12 eggs per week compared to the other group. As a reminder, an LDL cholesterol level is considered high when it is greater than 1.6 g/l
► A reduction in another lipid biomarker called apoB, high-sensitivity troponin (a marker of heart damage) and insulin resistance scores, and increased vitamin B levels in the “enriched” egg group .
Be careful how you eat your eggs
Although these differences were not statistically significant, the researchers said they suggest that consuming 12 fortified eggs each week (about 2 per day) had no negative effects on blood cholesterol. These results should still be taken with caution and need to be confirmed by larger and more in-depth studies. The study is based solely on participants’ self-reporting of their egg consumption and dietary habits and was funded by Eggland’s Best, one of the largest egg producers in the United States. “This is a small study, but it reassures us that fortified egg consumption is acceptable with respect to four-month lipid effects, even among a higher-risk population,” noted Nina Nouhravesh, lead author. Above all, a other factor having an effect on cholesterol levels might be important to consider, namely what people can eat as an accompaniment to their eggs, such as toast with butter, bacon or other processed meats, which are not heart-healthy choices. People suffering from heart disease are therefore advised to discuss a heart-healthy diet with their doctor.