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Our country has always been kind of health-conscious. Sure, we may not follow all the dietary and lifestyle recommendations we’re offered, but we sure want to find out what researchers say is good and what they say is bad for us. And even though it might sound like a bad thing, it definitely isn’t. After all, researchers perform their studies for the benefit of humanity. In one of the most recent studies from Finland, a team of researchers found that eggs do not raise cholesterol if consumed moderately.
Dietary cholesterol ≠ blood cholesterol
The Finnish study looked at a sample of 1,000 men aged 42 to 60, all of them generally healthy, with about a third of the participants carrying the notorious ApoE4-a gene variant responsible for increasing the risk for heart disease due to increased cholesterol absorption.
Looking at the participants for a surprisingly long study time of 21 years (this apparently needlessly long duration only served to make the study more accurate and trustworthy), the researchers administered a series of questionnaire and tests, monitoring the subjects’ dietary habits. Over the course of the study, 230 participants, about a quarter, developed coronary artery disease.
According to the study, the participants generally consumed somewhere around 2,800 milligrams of cholesterol each week. A quarter of their weekly cholesterol intake stemmed from four eggs eaten every week, seeing as an egg generally contained about 180 milligrams of cholesterol.
Moderation is the key word
The team did not find any association whatsoever between total cholesterol intake and developing cardiovascular disease. The findings hold even when taking into account the ApoE4-a carriers and several factors like age, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, and others.
Of course, the only reason for this is that the participants consumed the eggs and other cholesterol sources in moderation. The scientists are confident that if consumed in moderation, cholesterol can in no way increase the risk of developing a cardiovascular condition, even in certain at-risk groups.
But regarding eggs, how much is too much? Well, according to varying studies around the internet, the best amount of eggs you can eat in one week is somewhere between two and five. Depending on your lifestyle, other dietary habits, and risk level, you can find a perfectly good balance eating between two and five eggs a week.
And as expected, the way you prepare them is also very important. If you reduce the additional saturated fats and sodium intakes (from oil, butter, salt, etc.), you can reduce the cholesterol levels for the eggs you’re eating.
If you are fan of egg white omelets, you can go ahead and eat more of those bad boys, as the yolk is the part of the egg with the most cholesterol. If you go even further and cook your egg white omelet without any oil or salt, you’re golden.
Image source: Pixabay
