Are eggs part of a healthy diet?
Yes! Eggs are a nutrition bonanza, concludes a review of 25 studies on eggs and health conducted by Donald K. Layman, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois, and Nancy R. Rodriguez, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut. Despite their high cholesterol content, eggs are an “ideal protein choice” and “don’t raise risk for heart disease in most people,” the researchers conclude. “The media have overstated the risks of the cholesterol in eggs,” says Layman. While it’s true that one egg contains 212 milligrams of cholesterol (compared to 63 mg in a serving of salmon, 78 mg in lean ground beef and 85 mg in a pork chop or skinless chicken), Layman insists that eggs have “no significant effect” on blood cholesterol unless it’s very high (above 300 mg/dl). In addition, heart disease risk is related more to saturated fat than dietary cholesterol, he says, and eggs are very low in this type of fat. One egg contains a mere 2 grams of saturated fat — identical to a serving of salmon, and much lowe
Email this advice to a friend A: Yes! Eggs are a nutrition bonanza, concludes a review of 25 studies on eggs and health conducted by Donald K. Layman, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois, and Nancy R. Rodriguez, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut. Despite their high cholesterol content, eggs are an “ideal protein choice” and “don’t raise risk for heart disease in most people,” the researchers conclude. “The media have overstated the risks of the cholesterol in eggs,” says Layman. While it’s true that one egg contains 212 milligrams of cholesterol (compared to 63 mg in a serving of salmon, 78 mg in lean ground beef and 85 mg in a pork chop or skinless chicken), Layman insists that eggs have “no significant effect” on blood cholesterol unless it’s very high (above 300 mg/dl). In addition, heart disease risk is related more to saturated fat than dietary cholesterol, he says, and eggs are very low in this type of fat. One egg contains a mere 2 grams of saturated fat — identical to a