Myth or reality: Egg Yolks Will Give You A Heart Attack?

For decades it was thought that the egg yolk was the most useless of the egg and responsible for increasing cholesterol levels, promote heart disease and finally led to the accumulation of fat in your waistline!

Why all this misinformation?

Years ago, researchers identified a correlation between cholesterol from the egg yolks and elevated blood cholesterol levels. Elevated cholesterol levels can lead to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, so it inevitably ban egg yolks and the start of “egg whites only”!

 

Clearly egg white is an excellent source of protein, low calorie! But the yolk has many nutritional benefits. A whole egg contains about 7 grams of high quality protein and including the yolk is a better source of nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and choline that make your heart healthier.

 

Although the egg yolks contain about 185 milligrams cholesterol, there are no controlled studies to date suggested that the whole egg consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Connecticut found that the egg yolks actually helped to increase blood levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL, the “good” cholesterol).

While observational studies can provide a link between heart disease and egg consumption, however it seems that the real culprit for high cholesterol levels is the overconsumption of saturated fats and trans fats. Trans fats are often found in commercial baked goods and heavily processed fast foods.

 

As long as you do not have a specific and diagnosed heart disease and do not limit the cholesterol from your doctor, there is no reason to fear one or two whole eggs per day.

 

by Kostas Mitsaris
certified personal trainer
sport & fitness nutritionist