asking for a friend: can we settle the debate about eggs and whether or not they give you high cholesterol?

dear asking for a friend,  

i really like eggs. like, i have two every day religiously. in fact, i don’t feel right if i don’t have them. my question though is that i thought the whole eggs-cause-high-cholesterol was a myth — but i am now seeing stories that say the opposite. are my eggs bad for my health?  

signed, love my eggs  

dear love my eggs,  

eggs are a great dietary habit to have because they provide an inexpensive and accessible source of essential nutrients. plus, when you get time-crunched, eggs can be the perfect go-to for an easy scramble or omelette that you can pack with vegetables to round out a meal.   

they’re also right on trend for popular gastro finishes like an egg baked on pizza or fried for topping korean bibimbap. delicious!  

but why all the scientific back-and-forth on eggs causing high cholesterol?   

true, eggs are naturally high in cholesterol that’s found in the yolk. your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but high levels of cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits in your blood vessels that can block adequate blood flow through your arteries . the risk here is you can end up with heart disease.   

while some studies have found a link between eating eggs and heart disease , there could be other reasons for these findings. consider the foods people typically eat with eggs, like bacon that is high in saturated fat and sodium, which can boost heart disease risk. also factor in how they’re prepared, if they’re fried in an excess amount of oil or butter.  

nutrition expert mahshid dehghan, an investigator with the population health research institute (phri) of hamilton health sciences and mcmaster university , is well-acquainted with the egg debate. she also eats eggs regularly.  

“i love eggs,” she says, adding she eats three or four a week, and praises their high food value, affordability and availability. “they’re very high in good quality protein, folate and vitamin b.”  

  the trouble is, people are confused by scientific reports and the “association between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, which is not just about eggs,” dehghan says. “but in all science, there’s inconsistency when it comes to food intake and outcome, and proving cause and effect.”  

  her main interests, in fact, are the development of methods to measure dietary intake of people around the world, and understanding the impact of dietary factors in the cause and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.     

dehghan was the lead author for the 2020 phri landmark observational study on egg intake and the link to blood lipids, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in 177,000 people in 50 countries — the first large observational study of its kind. the researchers analyzed the data from three long-term international phri studies that looked at healthy people and people with vascular disease.  

the results suggest there is absolutely no harm in consuming eggs. the majority of people in the study ate one or fewer eggs per day, so one egg a day is safe and healthy.   

“we looked at people from the rural area of india, from vancouver and stockholm and had good statistical evidence to determine the risk of a cardiovascular event. in all the data, we didn’t find any relation,” says dehghan of egg consumption and heart disease.  

moderate egg intake doesn’t increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality, even if people have a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. and the researchers found no association between egg consumption and blood cholesterol or other risk factors.   

is two eggs a day a good habit to have?     

although she can’t say for sure, given that her research only measured the impact of  consuming one egg a day, she notes that it’s important to also consider what else you are eating, as well as as serving sizes. basically, don’t replace eggs with white bread, refined grains and processed foods, dehghan cautions.  

her advice? “prepare your food at home and make it fun. use fresh foods, like fruits, legumes and eggs, that provide the nutrients and minerals that your body needs.”