The debate continues.
Politics is one thing, diet another. In this divisive world we all have our ideas of the correct way to eat and the healthiest things to put in our bodies.
Eggs go in and out of style with more regularity than a Kardashian waist trainer. While many people have ditched the dairy, there has been a swelling of so-called “veggans.” (You can probably guess what this diet entails by the name alone, but I will give you a hint. Vegan + eggs.)
Many healthy hens can lay eggs without human intervention and people who have a staunch ethical standpoint on every other animal product waver when it comes to the humble egg. (1)
But is it healthy? Really?
Excessive egg eating has been recently linked to heart disease, which might not be excessive to some people – three more eggs per week than a typical one-a-day habit. (10 eggs total per week.) (2)
Of course, it is all in the eye of the scientist and there is another study of over 400,000 Chinese adults that found that eating one egg daily was linked to an 18% decrease in death from cardiovascular disease. (2)
Huh.
In 1995, the American Heart Association attempted to get clear on this matter, suggesting no more than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol (one egg contains 186mg).
Eggs are the highest source of cholesterol in most people’s diets. For comparison, 100 grams of 30% fat ground beef has only 88mg of cholesterol. (3)
Here we are, over 20 years later, more confused than ever.
Several controlled studies have shown the results of the egg and heart disease debate to be positive or neutral. Even when eggs were found to increase cholesterol (which wasn’t the case in the majority of people), it raised the good, or HDL cholesterol. (3) The risk of heart disease is speculated to be attached to the other things that accompany eggs in a standard American breakfast.
Ahem. Bacon. Ahem.
Sorry, needed to clear my throat. Truly, it isn’t only the sodium in the bacon but also the trans fats or oils used to fry the eggs that could be the culprit. (4)
The “Don’t egg eggs – EVER” headlines also seem to ignore the nutritional stats of eggs, which contain a little bit of almost everything the human body needs. (Including the elusive B12 which vegans can be deficient in, hence the movement towards veggan).
The oldest person in the world was 117 when she died. Italy’s Emma Morano had great cholesterol, a family history of longevity and a long habit of eating raw eggs. In fact, when she got older (and turning 117 really puts the term “older” into perspective) she ate cookies and eggs. That’s it.
There you go. The secret to living to 117.
Joking aside, the truth of why some people live long healthy lives and others do not is not based on any one specific food. I know this to be true because I have a grandfather who is over the age of 90 who hates vegetables. If eating kale alone was the secret to health and vitality, then he flies in the face of convention.
Living a long life is genetics and lifestyle factors. Cholesterol may be part of the story and it is speculated that your genes may affect how you respond to egg consumption.
But it certainly isn’t the entire story.