Fear about eggs spiking cholesterol levels ‘unwarranted’: Experts

New Delhi: Consuming an egg every day is safe and good for your heart, and it will not increase your blood cholesterol levels, said experts on Saturday noting that the fear is unwarranted.

Given the rise in cholesterol and poor heart health, the number of eggs a person can consume per day has been long debated.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Kerala State IMA Research Cell Chairman told IANS that eggs are an important source of all-round nutrition.

“Eggs are perhaps the best source of protein in the world, it also contains other nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Importantly, they are easily available and relatively economical.

“There is a lot of unnecessary anxiety about the consumption of eggs, to the extent that people are fearful of consuming it. This is unwarranted because various studies have shown that increasing the number of eggs taken daily, does not necessarily lead to a rise in blood cholesterol,” said Jayadevan, also a gastroenterologist.

He explained that the cholesterol circulating in the blood is primarily made in the liver in response to the body's various nutritional and metabolic requirements.

It is not significantly impacted by the amount of cholesterol consumed in our diet, for instance, by consuming eggs.

“Unfortunately, people believe that cholesterol in blood is directly linked with cholesterol in the diet,” Jayadevan said.

While high cholesterol levels are to be avoided, specifically, especially high LDL levels (bad cholesterol), it is important to consider all the risk factors while assessing the risk for cardiovascular disease.

“These risk factors include cigarette smoking, alcohol use, family history of heart disease, obesity, sedentary life, lack of exercise, diabetes, and hypertension. Elevated LDL and decreased HDL (good cholesterol),” the expert said.

“One can safely say that consuming one egg per day will not do any harm to anyone,” he said while adding that “having more than one egg per day occasionally is unlikely to change any cardiovascular outcome”.

Eggs are rich in high-quality protein, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and selenium. They also contain choline, important for brain health.

The vitamin A, vitamin B12, and selenium in eggs are key to keeping the immune system healthy.

“While eggs provide essential nutrients, the yolk is high in dietary cholesterol, with one yolk containing about 186 mg,” Dr. J. P. S. Sawhney, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, told IANS.

However, “dietary cholesterol has less of an impact on blood cholesterol levels for many people,” added Sawhney, also the Chairman of the Lipid Guidelines, recently released by the Cardiological Society of India (CSI).

The expert called on individuals with high cholesterol or with certain genetic predispositions (like familial hypercholesterolemia), and existing heart disease to monitor their egg intake.

“Still, one egg per day can fit into a heart-healthy diet,” he noted.