An egg every morning, is it a nutritional good or a cardiovascular ban? Will it raise cholesterol?

"I dare not eat eggs. Eggs are so high in cholesterol that eating them will raise blood lipids."

The 65-year-old Lao Li felt unwell after getting up one time six months ago, so he went to the hospital for a check-up with his wife. The total cholesterol was found to be 6.56mmol/l, and he was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia .

Lao Li usually likes pork belly, but since he was found to have high blood lipids, for the sake of his own body, he "quit" all foods that raise cholesterol, including the egg he used to eat every day.

Everyone around him told him that "it's okay to eat eggs", but Lao Li always suspected that his hyperlipidemia was caused by eating eggs - that is to say, eggs are the "hairs" of hyperlipidemia .

After half a year, Lao Li insisted on taking drugs, and his hyperlipidemia was well controlled, but he lost weight. When he went for a review, he was found to be malnourished.

When the doctor learned the reason, he couldn't help laughing and crying, "Whoever said that patients with high blood lipids can't eat eggs, don't listen to those 'rumors', eggs are nutritious, and there is no problem in eating them in moderation. It's better to have an egg every day after returning home, and you don't need to be too careful about diet. mouth……".

But Lao Li was still a little uneasy: is it really okay to eat an egg every day? Do eggs really not raise cholesterol?

1. Is an egg a day a nutritional good or a cardiovascular bane?

In recent years, there have been more and more claims about the relationship between "eggs and cardiovascular health", and even some studies have found that eating more eggs will increase the risk of death and cardiovascular risk. Is it true?

Published in "PLOS Medicine", a research team led by Professor Zhang Yu and Professor Jiao Jingjing from the School of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science of Zhejiang University found through a large-scale study of 520,000 participants that the intake of eggs and cholesterol is related to cardiovascular disease. Disease-related, higher intakes are associated with higher cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality .

Does this mean eggs are a cardiovascular bane?

Don't panic, recently published in the journal eLife, Yu Canqing and others from the School of Public Health of Peking University selected 4778 participants between the ages of 30 and 79 from the Chinese Kadoorie Biobank sample, of which 3401 had cardiovascular disease .

The results showed that people who ate a moderate amount of eggs (1 per day) had higher levels of apolipoprotein A1 in their blood .

The substance is a component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which contains more large HDL molecules in the blood, which helps to clear cholesterol from blood vessels, thereby preventing heart disease and stroke .

In other words, eating an egg a day can help prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease. But data shows that people eat less eggs on average than this recommendation, so eating eggs in moderation (1 per day) can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Eggs are "hair products" of high blood lipids, will they increase cholesterol?

As a nutrient-dense food, eggs shouldn't just be considered a "high cholesterol food."

Eggs are a source of high-quality protein. A 60-gram whole egg contains 6.3 grams of protein, which is a complete protein. The amino acid pattern is easily digested and absorbed by the human body.

At the same time, eggs are not only rich in vitamin B group, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K, and minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc, but also rich in lecithin, choline and lutein, which are important for brain cognition. , memory, and motor, sensory and other functions have been increased .

What are the "entanglements" between eggs and cholesterol? Cholesterol is considered a "bad thing" by many people.

In fact, cholesterol is also an important part of biological membranes , is the main raw material for the synthesis of epinephrine and sex hormones, and participates in the synthesis of vitamin D. It can be said that the life activities of the human body are inseparable from the role of cholesterol.

The source of cholesterol is the synthesis of the liver and the absorption of food.

The absorption rate of cholesterol in food is closely related to dietary fat. The higher the fat content, the more cholesterol is absorbed. Therefore, to prevent the excessive absorption of cholesterol in the diet, the fat content in the diet should be controlled .

An egg contains about 300 mg of cholesterol. Although the cholesterol in eggs is high, the eggs themselves are very rich in nutrients.

Therefore, Wang Longde, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, suggested that normal people should eat one egg a day , while it is more appropriate for patients with high LDL, diabetes and cardiovascular disease to eat one egg every 2 days.

3. Can only eat one egg at most every day? 3 Mistakes to Avoid

As mentioned earlier, studies have found that every 300 mg of cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular death. But studies have found that Asians have a natural advantage - egg consumption is not associated with cardiovascular disease risk .

Published in "Circulation", a health data tracking of more than 480,000 people completed by the team of Huang Jiaqi from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University found that eggs may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but it is not suitable for all geographical groups.

However, it should be noted that for patients with hyperlipidemia, cholecystitis, and egg allergy , eating more eggs may cause physical discomfort. It is recommended to appropriately reduce the intake of eggs.

For pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, bodybuilding muscle gainers, adolescents, and egg-milk vegetarians, if there is no blood sugar or dyslipidemia, you can add an egg every day.

In addition, these 3 misunderstandings about eggs should also be clearly understood

• Can't eat eggs on an empty stomach

Some people worry that if you eat eggs on an empty stomach, protein will be forced to be converted into calorie consumption, which is not conducive to nutrient absorption. In fact, it is no problem for healthy people to eat eggs on an empty stomach, it will not cause protein waste, and food-derived protein will not be preferentially converted into calories.

• raw eggs are healthier

When it comes to food, many people believe that less processing can preserve its original nutrition. In fact, the protein structure of raw eggs is relatively tight, which is not easy to be digested by the human body, and the nutrition is not conducive to absorption, while the structure of cooked eggs is softer and can be better utilized by the human body after eating.

In addition, raw eggs are prone to food poisoning. If you often eat raw eggs, the nutrition may not be replenished, and the body will be "pitted" first.

• Egg yolks are high in cholesterol, do not recommend eating

Egg yolk not only contains cholesterol, but also contains essential fatty acids, lecithin, various vitamins, trace elements and other nutrients. Not eating egg yolk is equivalent to abandoning the most "essential" part of the egg.

Having said so much, Xiaojiu just wanted to remind everyone: an egg a day is delicious and nutritious! Have you eaten today's eggs?

References:

[1] "eLife: Peking University study shows that one egg a day can promote cardiovascular health of Chinese people". Biology World. 2022-06-10

[2] "Healthy Joy Reading | Eggs are high in cholesterol and affect health? Update your knowledge base now! 》.Health Times.2019-10-17

[3] "Can only eat 1 egg a day? Can't eat eggs on an empty stomach? 10 truths about eggs, one at a time! 》. Tencent Medical Code. 2020-08-24

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