The Truth About Eggs & Cholesterol

Eggs have been demonized for a very long time now, because…it raises your cholesterol.

However, that is a lot of hogwash as you will discover in this post.

Now first off… The cholesterol we ingest is typically a minor source compared to the amount our body produces. Yes, your body does produce cholesterol… Your liver produces about 75%, or more of the cholesterol in your body, every cell in your body can produce cholesterol.
 
So if cholesterol is so bad then why would your own body produce it?

The problem isn’t the cholesterol – in fact you do need cholesterol to live. This waxy, soft and fat-like substance is present in your blood as well as every cell in your body. Cholesterol helps to produce hormones (testosterone, estrogen and adrenaline), cell membranes, vitamin D (without it there will be no vitamin D) as well as bile acids which help your body to digest fat.

Now, if you ingest cholesterol through eggs then your body will simply produce less cholesterol…because you do need a certain amount of cholesterol every day.

Cholesterol is not some vile poison but an essential ingredient of life. (But I suppose the pharmaceutical industry has to uphold this lie, because they want the profits from all the money they make by selling statins)

Now let’s get back to the eggs…

The thing is doctors would tell you not to eat eggs because they contain more cholesterol than most other foods, but hang in there because as you will see eggs are super nutritious and by eating eggs DOESN’T mean that it will raise the bad cholesterol in your blood.

But more on that later, let’s see why eggs are super nutritious.

Eggs contain minerals, vitamins, good fats and quality proteins.

One large egg will give you:

• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin D
• Selenium
• Calcium
• Iron
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Vitamin E
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Choline
• Antioxidants – Lutein & Zeaxanthin (especially beneficial for the retina)a of the eye

So there you have it eggs are indeed very nutritious.

But let us see what happens to our cholesterol if we eat eggs…

1. Eggs Increase High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

HDL is the “good” cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. 

Have a look at these studies, which prove that egg consumption:

• Egg consumption and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. 

• Whole egg consumption improves lipoprotein profiles and insulin sensitivity to a greater extent than yolk-free egg substitute in individuals with metabolic syndrome. 

• Dietary Cholesterol from Eggs Increases Plasma HDL Cholesterol in Overweight Men Consuming a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet 

Eating eggs is an awesome way to increase your HDL.

2. Eggs Change Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Now LDL is seen as the “bad” cholesterol.

You get two types of LDL – sdLDL small dense particles (pattern B) and large LDL (pattern A).

Pattern B is the “bad” one and Pattern A is the “good” one. We want more of the larger fluffy LDL type and that is what consuming eggs does. Click here & here to view the studies

Now…I saved the best for last:

That’s right – In a study 30 overweight to obese women had either a breakfast of eggs or bagels. The same amount of calories for both the eggs and bagels. The women who had the eggs felt satiated and ate less calories for the next 36 hours. Click here to view the study. 

In a similar study: Egg breakfast enhances weight loss which lasted for 8 weeks. People who ate eggs for breakfast experienced weight improvements compared to the same amount of calories from bagels.

The people who ate eggs:

• Lost 65% more body weight.
• Lost 16% more body fat.
• Had a 61% greater reduction in BMI.
• Had a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference

The simple fact of the matter is that eggs are very good for you and probably one of the healthiest foods out there.