Eggs and Cholesterol: The Myth and The Truth

Many people today run from eggs, in spite of what comes with them (nutritional values, taste and other beneficial values), because of what is perceived by many as its high level of cholesterol.

Egg (Image source: pixabay.com)

Nutritional Values of Eggs

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods; a single boiled egg contains many nutrients, which include Vitamin A: 6% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.

A boiled egg contains many and diverse nutrients, which include the following:

• Vitamin A: 6% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Vitamin B5: 7% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Vitamin B12: 9% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Vitamin B2: 15% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Folate: 5% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Phosphorus: 9% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• Selenium: 22% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
• They also have in them decent amounts of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Zinc.
• Other nutrients include 77 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats.

It is a known fact that eggs are very high in cholesterol, as a single egg contains 212 mg, which is over half of the 300 mg that is recommended to be taken in a day.

However, it is worthy of note that cholesterol in eggs does not necessarily increase cholesterol in the blood as it is often believed. The human liver produces large quantity of cholesterol every day. However, when we eat more eggs, the liver just produces less cholesterol instead, so it evens out. At this point, I should give you a little knowledge of cholesterol.

KNOWING CHOLESTEROL

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is known to be a waxy substance which if naturally found in blood; and it is principally produced by liver, and also found in some foods like meat, egg, butter, high fat cheese etc. cholesterol is vital, as it helps in having a good health. However, it becomes dangerous to the body when the level becomes high in the body.

High level of cholesterol is a frequent problem and one of the most common risk factor in developing coronary heart diseases. This can however be checked by your medical health care provider, a healthy diet and of course, a healthy lifestyle.

The Good and Bad Cholesterol

Cholesterol are of two types, and their ‘goodness’ or ‘badness’ is defined by the lipoproteins which transports them, and they are LDL - Low Density Lipoproteins (Bad Cholesterol) and HDL – High Density Lipoproteins (Good Cholesterol).

• The HDL – High Density Lipoproteins (Good Cholesterol) helps remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream, also returning it to the liver, where it is passed out of the human body.
• The LDL - Low Density Lipoproteins (Bad Cholesterol) on the other hand is bad for the human body, as its excess builds in the arteries, which raises the risk of coronary heart diseases.

Eggs and Cholesterol

Eggs, especially chicken egg are high in cholesterol, with little effect on blood cholesterol in contrast to trans fats and saturated fats. It is medically confirmed that most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs in a week, with the possibility of this preventing stroke (MayoClinic.org).

Despite all these, people with diabetes should not eat egg as much as people without it, as some research have shown that there is the possibility of increase in the risk of heart disease for those living with diabetes.

Body response to egg consumption varies between individual --- 70% of people who eat eggs don’t raise cholesterol at all, while on the other hand, the remaining 30% can mildly raise their cholesterol level.

It remains true that eggs are high in cholesterol. But it is a MYTH that eating eggs necessarily have adverse effects on cholesterol in the blood for everyone.

Always consult your medical practitioner on health matters.