Am I the only one who would always hear or be told to be careful with how many eggs we eat because it could raise our cholesterol? Even my mom's doctor once told her it's "ok" to eat one egg/day.
Finally, after years of wondering and researching I have the answer for you!
Long story short: eggs will not raise your cholesterol.
There's more to this though, but first let's talk about what is cholesterol, how it functions in the body, and the different types.
WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
It is a type of waxy fat-based molecule made by the liver and found in most tissues.
HOW IT FUNCTIONS IN THE BODY
Cholesterol is one of the molecules that make up bile (a fluid that aids in digestion) in our body. In other words, cholesterol aids in the digestion of fat.
It is also used to make certain hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol (stress hormone), and more. All hormones play important roles in the body.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES
There are a few different types of cholesterol, but let's talk about the main two we usually hear about: "bad" cholesterol and "good" cholesterol, aka low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), respectively.
LDL travel through the bloodstream and can form plaques through the process of oxidation in the blood vessels which can lead to heart disease. We do want some LDL in our bodies but not enough to contribute to health risks.
HDL are smaller in size. Think of them as the "cholesterol cleanup crew". They take cholesterol away from the artery walls and back to the liver for recycling.
BACK TO EGGS NOW...
FACT: eggs have cholesterol in them, specifically the yoke part.
ALSO FACT: our body needs cholesterol to function properly as we briefly discussed above.
Here is where the truth really lies: higher cholesterol can come from factors such as a poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, etc.
If this sounds like the type of lifestyle you live, your main focus should not be to reduce your egg intake. It should be to start making long term lifestyle changes to improve your health. Instead of eliminating eggs, eliminate the sugary beverages, highly processed foods, bad habits, etc.
If you have a rather whole, nutritious, minimally processed diet, eggs will be a great addition for that extra boost of nutrients and vitamins. Eggs even help raise our good cholesterol (HDL).
Fun Fact: my hubby, who is an elite CrossFit athlete, eats 6 eggs daily. He just got blood work done and his cholesterol levels were just fine. What does he do right? He eats whole, nutritious foods, hydrates, does not drink/smoke, exercises multiple times/week, maintains a healthy body weight, and prioritizes sleep.
Now, I'm not saying to go out and eat 6 eggs every day (buying that many eggs does get expensive after a while), and on top of that I know that the general population is not elite CrossFit athletes who make daily sacrifices to support this level of athleticism.
What we can do is try to follow those basic core nutrition and lifestyle principles as much as possible so we can support healthy blood work levels and bodily functions.
IN SUMMARY
So, next time you're at the doctor's or you hear someone say eggs are bad for you, you now have this knowledge in your back pocket.
The only time you should be eliminating eggs is if you're allergic to them. We don't want to have to pull out the epipen!!
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