- checking login information
Loading...Is Your Breakfast Killing You?
“Rise ‘n shine, go to work on an egg!” is a commercial jingle I grew up with in England in the 1960′s. Eggs are good for you; everyone knew that.
Not so. A new study finds that eggs are nearly as bad for your arteries as cigarettes.
Specifically, the study, published in the journal Atherosclerosis, states that the cholesterol in egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaque in our arteries) almost as much as smoking.
But wait a minute, on the contrary: an April 5th, 2012 article by Tanya Zuckerbrot, “Egg-cellent nutrition” makes the statement that there is, “no correlation between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease for those that do not have high cholesterol or diabetes”. The study cited in this article is the Physicians Health Study 1,2,3.
The controversy on whether eggs are good or bad for human consumption has been going on for years. So what’s the truth?
Writing in The Atlantic, Brian Fung reports on this latest study in Atherosclerosis by first pointing out that last year, the average American consumed 247 eggs — over 40 percent more than the world per-capita average. Because egg yolks are high in cholesterol, eating whole eggs increases cholesterol, a known risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attacks.
That is indeed a whole lot of eggs.
And Fung relates the findings of this research:
Aging was associated with a linear increase in arterial plaque after age 40, but smoking and egg consumption were each independently associated with an exponential increase in plaque. Egg consumption had two-thirds of the effect of smoking.
CONCLUSION: Egg yolks are almost as bad for your carotid arteries as smoking.
IMPLICATION: While the link between eggs and cholesterol — and between cholesterol and heart disease — is well established, this study sheds light on the extent of their potential harm if eaten routinely in large quantities. A single large egg contains more than 180 mg of cholesterol — more than a third of a person’s daily recommended intake. By this measure, a typical American breakfast alone, with two eggs (plus bacon!), would push well past that. Egg whites, meanwhile, remain excellent.
Let’s stop on that phrase: “if routinely eaten in large quantities.” And the bottom line is that if you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, you should stay away from all high cholesterol foods. No, not everyone, just that demographic group.
The Examiner has this to say:
I do know that eggs have been part of the human diet since the domestication of animals. I also know that too much of any one thing is bad. But considering all of the other health benefits of eggs (protein, B vitamins, riboflavin, folate, vitamin E, increased eye health, etc. Physicians Health Study 1,2,3) I think a couple over medium is far better for you than sucking on a Winston.
We are all different, and there are so many more factors to consider than just one food source. Everything in moderation and balance, please!
So before you decide to completely revamp your diet, consider that as long as you are not at risk for cardiovascular disease, including eggs as part of a healthy diet is just fine. Or you could just eat the boring egg whites, of course.
What do you think?
Related Stories
Krispy Kreme Switching To Cage-Free Eggs
Read more: atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, chloresterol, cigarettes, clogged arteries, coronary artery disease, eggs, heart attacks, heart problem, smoking
Photo Credit: MissK1
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
Recent Comments from Causes
Taylor M…you are 14, yet your profile says that you are 35, DOB: 1977! It takes humans a wee bit…
Hell, you don't expect a profiteering insurance company to actually stand by you when you get sick do…
"We Buy, Who Pays?" is a documentary about Western companies producing clothes and shoes in developing…
meet our writers
201 comments
+ add your ownThank you for sharing.
One year they are bad for your health, another year they are outstanding to eat, another year or two an alternate study rehashes the woes of the first study proving positively A, B and C really is bad after all. The year after another study finds irrefutable proof that eggs are healthy after all.
I eat eggs every now and then preferring to purchase free range/organic eggs which tend to be tastier. Another person commented on how unhealthy nitrates are in bacon and there are even arguments about that one where some say you really don't have to bother to buy organic bacon without the nitrates because...
http://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-bacon
Which then gets into the entire meat eating debate...and if plants are all you eat there is the old raw over cooked debate.
Thank you :)
Thank you
I still like a bit of yolk, but I want two eggs, so the second yolk makes an excellent face mask.
Hello Lynn,
Yes, eggs have a lot of nutrition, I eat egg whites.
One large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol, all of which is found in the yolk (Mayo Clinic). A whole egg from time to time should be ok.
One egg white has about 3 g of protein, is rich in selenium and vitamins such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 and the minerals zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, calcium and potassium, and no fat, cholesterol, or carbohydrates
For a Healthy Egg Sandwich
I recommend using 100% egg whites which is 100% protein, the yolk is 100% fat, so I prefer using the whites. You can purchase a very small round pan, we have one, to cook a nice round egg (only use extra virgin oil to cook with in low to medium heat) or no oil at all. Use a whole wheat muffin or bread (read the label to make sure it doesn’t have all of those additives that are poison, which will be hard to find). But it is available.
If you want cheese (I don’t use it) do not use processed cheese go to the Delhi and have them slice the cheese for you. (AVOID all processed-food and fast-food, like the PLAGUE!.)
As to the Canadian bacon which is made with sodium nitrate. Microwave it to heat it instead of frying it at a high heat to lessen the carcinogenic nitrosamines.
In our household, we us a multi- grain whole wheat slice of bread without the additives and just the egg white, no cheese or bacon. Very low in calories with no fat and very tasty and nutritious.
Eggs also provide a whole lot of nutrional value that if your missing, maybe you shouldn't give up on them! Everything in moderation is best!
Yes Wendy, I agree with you.
Just don't eat eggs everyday. Once in a while isn't going to kill you if you enjoy eating them.
This article about breakfast and eggs brought to mind my discussion to not consume bacon many years ago, which I used to enjoy.
It’s not the fat, grease or calories I’m concerned about.
Bacon has about 40 calories and about 3.5 grams of fat in a strip, BUT!
A 2007 study by Columbia University suggests a link between eating cured meats (such as bacon) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The preservative sodium nitrite is the probable cause.
The sodium nitrates (a food additive used in many processed and cured meats) in bacon create carcinogenic nitrosamines when the bacon is cooked. The very high cooking temperatures used to fry bacon are conducive to nitrosamine formation.
Nitrosamines have also been linked with gastric cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer and Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found in 2010 that eating processed meats such as bacon was associated with an increased risk of both heart disease and diabetes.
login to add your comment
use your care2 login
add your comment