New Delhi, October 6 . Does consuming eggs increase cholesterol level and it has a direct effect on the heart? Or how many eggs should a person eat in a day? spoke to experts about all these things.
So experts are of the opinion that eating one egg every day is good for your heart and it does not increase the level of cholesterol in your blood. According to experts, this fear is baseless.
By the way, given the increase in cholesterol and deteriorating heart health, there has been a long debate on how many eggs a person can eat per day.
Dr. Rajiv Jayadevan, President of Kerala State IMA Research Cell, told IANS that eggs are an important source of complete nutrition. “Eggs are probably the best source of protein in the world, they also contain other nutrients including vitamins and minerals. Importantly, they are readily available and relatively affordable,” says Jayadevan, who is also a gastroenterologist. “There is a lot of unnecessary anxiety about egg consumption, to the extent that people are afraid to consume them. This is unwarranted and unfounded as various studies have shown that increasing the number of eggs consumed daily does not increase blood cholesterol,” says Jayadevan.
He explains that blood cholesterol is primarily produced in the liver according to the various nutritional and metabolic requirements of the body and is not affected by the amount of cholesterol consumed in our diet – such as egg intake.
“Unfortunately, there is a myth that blood cholesterol is directly related to dietary cholesterol,” Jayadevan said.
While high cholesterol levels should be avoided, especially high LDL levels (bad cholesterol), it is important to consider all factors when assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the expert, these risk factors include cigarette smoking, alcohol use, family history of heart disease, obesity, sedentary life, lack of exercise, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“Any expert can say that eating one egg per day will not harm anyone,” he said. Moreover, “occasionally eating more than one egg per day is also unlikely to change any cardiovascular outcomes.”
Eggs are rich in high-quality protein, vitamin B12, phosphorus and selenium. They also contain choline, which is important for brain health.
Vitamin A, vitamin B12 and selenium in eggs are important in improving immunity.
“While eggs provide essential nutrients, the yolk is high in dietary cholesterol, about 186 mg in one yolk,” Dr J.P.S. Sahni, chairman of the cardiology department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, told IANS.
Sahni, who is also the chairman of the lipid guidelines recently released by the Cardiological Society of India (CSI), added, “However, dietary cholesterol has little effect on blood cholesterol levels for many people.”
While experts recommend individuals with high cholesterol or certain genetic disorders (such as familial hypercholesterolemia) and heart disease to monitor egg intake, he says, “Still, one egg per day can fit into a heart-healthy diet.”
