Is It Safe To Eat Eggs Every Day?
We eat a lot of eggs. We really should get some chickens.
Since we eat eggs for breakfast just about every day we commonly get questioned about the cholesterol in them.
The question behind the questions is usually based on the notion that since egg yolks are relatively high in cholesterol, eating them regularly could lead to having high blood cholesterol and higher risk of heart disease.
Truth be told, I bet if you walked up to 20 people on the street and asked them if the cholesterol in eggs is dangerous, just about all of them would say yes, even though they aren’t really even sure what cholesterol is and how people end up with high cholesterol.
So let’s dig in and see if we can clear up some of this confusion.
We should probably start with a definition of what cholesterol is.
Cholesterol defined:
Cholesterol is basically a lipid (fat) / modified steroid produced by the liver that serves to help us produce female and male sex hormones, vitamin D, bile acid as well as provide the structural walls of our cells.
It’s an essential part of our make up that we would not survive without.
In addition to being produced by the liver, cholesterol can be found in foods like shellfish, cheese, beef, full fat yogurt & eggs among others.
If you’ve had a blood test or had someone tell you about their cholesterol levels they probably mentioned these other things called “LDL and HDL”.
So what the heck are they?
Well they are measurable “transporters” of cholesterol in the blood.
People call HDL “good cholesterol” and LDL “bad cholesterol”.
LDL defined:
LDL (the “bad” one) transports cholesterol and fat from the liver to the rest of the body.
The reason it’s considered BAD at elevated levels is because it can lead to build up inside the small vessels inside the heart thus clogging down the available space from blood flow.
Acceptable LDL numbers vary based on age and other health conditions but there are some widely accepted ranges.
LDL - Rock Star - Less than 100 mg/dl
Uh-Oh - 130-159 mg/dl
No Bueno - 160-189 mg/dl
Super No Bueno - Over 190 mg/dl
HDL Defined:
HDL (the “good” one) grabs excess cholesterol in the blood and takes it to the liver to be whacked.
You want HDL kept high!
HDL - Rock Star - Over 60 mg/dl
Uh-Oh - 41-59 mg/dl
No Bueno - Under 40mg/dl
Ok cool, we have some working definitions now and some context around some of the commonly used terms when talking about cholesterol. We also know what is “good and bad” when we get those numbers back from our doctor.
We started this with the notion that the cholesterol in eggs was “risky” or “unhealthy”. The implication behind that assumption seems to make sense but is it true?
What actually makes people end up with unhealthy cholesterol levels?
For starters, you might want to choose your parents wisely.
According to a 2015 study done at the University of California, inherited high LDL cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia) is one of the most inherited metabolic disorders. About 1 in 500 people worldwide are affected through this condition and as many as 2,000,000 in the US alone. If one of your parents had or has elevated LDL levels you should get checked.
Ok so you picked your parents well and are good to go. Now what might make you end up with unhealthy numbers?
Being overweight or obese are at the top of the list. Remember back to THIS post about why you should care about being overweight? This is one of the reasons why. A mountain of research implicates excess body fat as one of (if not the key) key player in elevated LDL levels. How much body fat is excess you say? A BMI above 30 and a waist circumference of over 40 for men and over 35 for women put you at elevated risk. Being obese causes your body to be more resistant to insulin. This is a bad thing in and of itself, but it’s also bad for your cholesterol levels. Being obese also makes your bodies natural defenses to elevated LDL (the bad one) less effective.
Let’s get back to the smoking gun.
The eggs that are giving you that high LDL and subsequent heart disease in the first place. Not so fast.
A 2018 meta analysis of multiple animal and human studies on the subject done at The City University of New York conclusively found that the current research does NOT support the notion that dietary cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy individuals.
Our bodies are smart.
When we eat dietary cholesterol, our body accommodates for the increase by producing less of its own. If you haven’t noticed, for the most part the human body is all about trying to maintain homeostasis.
The real smoking gun in the research turned out to be saturated fat and trans fats. High levels of these fats HAVE been linked to increased risk for heart disease.
If you think about it, it makes sense. Often higher cholesterol foods like steak, cheeses and butter are both rich in cholesterol AND saturated fat.
Eggs happen to quite low in saturated fat.
Because of this research, the American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been revised to recommend that no more than 10% of your daily calories come from saturated fats.
So what do we do about it?
Like almost everything we talk about, it all comes back to the basics. We focus on the basics that give us the most bang for the buck and most of the results. There are of course prescription medications made to lower cholesterol levels but we will leave that to the MD’s. What WE can help you with will benefit not only your cholesterol and risk for heart disease but your overall quality of life and health.
Big thing number 1: Lose body fat.
Getting down to a healthy BMI and waist circumference are going to move the needle more than anything. How do you lose body fat? I’m so glad you asked! Head over HERE. As you read, it’s simple to start to take control of your food intake. And as you already know, the bottom line is calories matter.
Big thing number 2: Get active.
This goes hand in hand with the fat loss goal. Not only does nutritional compliance increase with regular exercise, research shoes that regular resistance training with weights combined with moderate aerobic exercise has a positive impact on cholesterol and heart disease risk. The Department of Health and Human Services guidelines for physical activity for adults recommends 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week. They also recommend training with weights at least 2 times per week at moderate to intense levels. Great health benefits are also seen at levels above these recommendations.
Smaller things you can do.
Eat more fiber. You can read about why HERE. Fiber binds to cholesterol in your blood and helps get it out of your system.
Stop smoking. Smoking raises LDL levels among all of the other horrible effects.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Research shows that people who eat plenty of fruit and veggies have lower LDL levels.
Get more Omega 3’s. These can come in supplement form (fish oil) or from foods like salmon or eggs that are enriched.
Are there other ways?
Of course but if you start with the big things you’ll get the best results in the shortest amount of time.
Let’s do a quick recap.
High cholesterol can be hereditary.
High cholesterol in your blood can be linked to food, but mainly saturated fat and trans fat, not dietary cholesterol.
If you’re overweight or obese, focus on losing body fat by watching your energy balance.
Start an exercise regimen.
Start small and add over time.
Make it something sustainable.
Start forming healthy habits around the “smaller things” we listed.
You can do it, but you have to start!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!