Are they good? Bad? And what is cholesterol? 

Recently a new study was posted in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) that stated that eggs may once again be bad for us. For years we were taught that eggs are terrible and singlehandedly cause heart disease. Then we got the good news (at least for us egg lovers) that they were okay again. 

The American Heart Association currently says that 1 egg per day for healthy individuals is an appropriate addition to a healthy diet¹. It’s not that the AHA isn’t keeping up with the times, they are simply taking more than one study into account when they make recommendations. 

Eggs are an excellent source of protein that is readily taken up by our bodies and provide a variety of nutrients including iron, choline, vitamin D, Vitamin E, riboflavin, and folate. 

So what is cholesterol and why are we so scared of it? The Dietary Guidelines for 2015-2020 don’t include a recommendation for cholesterol because they didn’t feel there was substantial evidence to limit it. Cholesterol is called a sterol; it is an important part of our bodies. We use it as a building block for cell membranes and hormones. In fact, it is so important that our bodies make about 98% of the cholesterol that we need. However, the jury is still out on the importance of getting cholesterol through our diet. 

While there seems to be a connection between intakes of cholesterol and heart disease, it is important to consider where all of this cholesterol comes from. Foods high in cholesterol include eggs, dairy products, and red meat. These foods are also high in saturated fat which has been linked to high levels of cholesterol in the blood (the kind your doctor worries about) and is likely a greater risk to us than the cholesterol we eat in food. 

While eggs are high in cholesterol, there are many variables when we look at what may cause high cholesterol and certainly more factors to consider when we study what causes heart disease. Heart disease is affected by genetics, activity level, and diet throughout the lifespan; I tend to think that one egg a day may not override all of these factors. 

My recommendation?  Limit eggs to 1-2 a day, cook them in fats such as olive oil or canola oil (to limit saturated fat), and try to avoid the bacon that often comes on the plate with them. 

1. Are eggs good for you or not? (2018, August 16). Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/08/15/are-eggs-good-for-you-or-not
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 8th Edition. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/