We know eggs are really good source of protein. But is eating egg yolk good or bad for you? Did you know the egg yolk contains all the essential fatty acids, the carotenoids, and fat soluble vitamins in the egg like vitamin A, D and E, as well as the majority of the other nutrients. It also contains lecithin not only aid memory and concentration; it also strengthens nerves in your brain and spine, positively influences cholesterol levels in your blood and hinders the formation of gallstones. By not eating egg yolk and just eating egg whites, we are throwing away the most valuable part.
But my doctor told me or I read somewhere that eating cholesterol like those found in egg yolks raises cholesterol. Really? So many people in Singapore without really understanding the cholesterol issue are just taking statin drugs without understanding all the side effects. Did you know that despite all the statin drugs patients take the death toll according to MOH from stroke and heart related diseases has not dropped but has actually gone up since 2009!
If you have cholesterol issues focus on getting a higher HDL and a lower LDL. You should at least know that a lower higher than normal LDL, and specifically, small LDL, has the nasty habit of embedding into arterial walls and promoting heart diseases.
So is eating egg yolks really good or bad? Do I eat egg yolks myself? Well despite what you have been told or heard, the research below seems to claim otherwise.
- The Framingham study found in 1982 that “differences in egg consumption were unrelated to blood cholesterol level” [Eggs, serum cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Oct;36(4):617-25. PubMed PMID: 7124663.]
- Harvard researchers found the same results in 1999, and Japanese investigators replicated these findings in 2006 [A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999 Apr 21;281(15):1387-94. PubMed PMID: 10217054 and Egg consumption, serum total cholesterol concentrations and coronary heart disease incidence: Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study. Br J Nutr. 2006 Nov;96(5):921-8. PubMed PMID: 17092383.]
- Egg consumption, in conjunction with a carbohydrate-restricted diet, can raise HDL levels, as well as promoting a shift from small LDL to large LDL which poses less cardiovascular risk. [Effects of eggs on plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Food Funct. 2010 Nov;1(2):156-60. Epub 2010 Oct 19. Review. PubMed PMID: 21776466.]
Based on this information, the research suggests that people gain “no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol. In contrast, you may have many other beneficial effects by the including of eggs and egg yolks in their regular diet.
Eggs, serum cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Oct;36(4):617-25. PubMed PMID: 7124663.
I personally eat egg yolks with my egg whites have have excellent blood cholesterol. When I go for my next kaya toast for breakfast, I would love to add a good source of protein, the good half boiled egg and its egg yolk enjoy the beneftis!
