
There is a popular belief about the possible negative effects of excessive egg consumption. This has become the demonization of this food, due to the presence of a high cholesterol content, especially in the yolk, and a supposed negative relationship with cardiovascular diseases. The latest scientific studies in relation to eggs have shown that moderate consumption does not alter the presence of cholesterol in the blood.
Eggs: properties and false myths
Since we are small, this food plays an essential role in our diets either in the form of dishes, sauces or as an ingredient in desserts and sweets. The egg is economical, accessible and provides our body with a great variety and amount of proteins and saturated fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated – as well as many vitamins and, yes, the famous cholesterol.
According to a review of several studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2000, it was concluded that the use of eggs in meals was not directly related to the presence of a high level of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
The truth is that the excessive consumption of saturated fats is the main cause of the increase in cholesterol in the blood, these being found, above all, in dairy products (cheeses, milk and whole yogurts), in fatty meats and in industrial sweets such as sweets, cookies or cake doughs.
With regard to the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases, it is pertinent to point out that the egg contains choline, a fundamental nutrient for the proper functioning of the heart, brain and blood vessels. Consequently, this food helps to lower and metabolize homocysteine, a chemical compound that, at very high levels, is responsible for an increased risk of this type of ailment.
Studies on egg consumption
It is difficult to find a certain unanimity in the conclusions of the various studies that have been carried out in recent years. On the one hand, there is research that has determined that there is no direct relationship between egg consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. For example, the ‘Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases’, concluded during 2006, followed more than 10,000 people over four years without observing any notable incidence among those subjects who ate more than 6 eggs a week.
On the other hand, we found less enthusiastic studies such as the “Egg Consumption and Risk of Heart Failure in the Physicians’ Health Study”, concluded in 2008, which estimated that the risk of contracting the mentioned diseases increased by 28 percent if more than one egg was consumed per day, and up to 68 percent if they were more than two daily.
The advisable, therefore, is a moderate consumption of eggs in the development of a rich and balanced diet since it is a fundamental food for the added benefits it brings to our health, without neglecting our essential food needs.