ARE EGGS GOOD FOR HEART?

Egg is an incredibly nutritious food but a lot of controversies surrounds its consumption because of its high cholesterol content. Here are the things you should know while taking this extremely liked food.

One large Egg on an average weighs 50 to 60g. Eggs provide 6 grams of the highest quality protein. One whole Egg provides varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals. This all comes just at only 70 calories.

Eggs provide 6 grams of the highest quality protein. In fact, Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein, because they contain all 9 essential amino acids. “Essential” amino acids can’t be synthesize in our body. Hence they should be include in our diet. Amino acids are considered the “building blocks for the body” because they help form protein. They help keep you feeling full.  Hence egg can be served as a perfect protein packed breakfast.

Egg contains around 1.6 grams of saturated fat. Dietary Guidelines recommend a maximum of 13 grams of saturated fat. Hence consuming an egg a day provides 12% of maximum saturated fat limit.

Major advantage with eggs is lack of carbohydrates. High Carbohydrate consumption is linked to obesity and diabetes.

Egg has cholesterol content of 200 to 210 mg/egg- — all of which is found in the yolk itself. Few dietary guidelines recommend Dietary cholesterol intakes should be less than 200 mg/day to 300mg/day. It means a whole egg serves 75% to 100% of maximum daily limit.

Concerns have been raised linking high dietary cholesterol in eggs to heart problems. Hence few nutritionists advice skipping yolk. Consuming egg white has no impact on blood cholesterol levels. But, much of vitamins and trace minerals of egg comes predominantly from yolk portion itself. Don’t skip yolk except one has very high cholesterol in his blood or having blocks in heart vessel with blood cholesterol not under control. It has shown that, dietary intake of cholesterol doesn’t necessarily raise blood cholesterol levels in 75% of the individuals. This neutral response is attributed to decrease in cholesterol absorption and/or endogenous cholesterol synthesis, in response to increased cholesterol intake. In fact, saturated fats on Full-fat dairy products and red meats are more likely to lead to high blood cholesterol. But, 25% individuals may experience raise in blood cholesterol with high dietary intake of cholesterol. In that way they are sensitive to dietary cholesterol (hyper responders). These subsets should limit the intake of egg yolk.

Omega-3 eggs are designer eggs produced by feeding hens a diet containing flaxseed, a known source of omega-3 fatty acid (α-Linolenic acid). When the hens digest the flax, some of the ALA (α-Linolenic acid) gets broken down into DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and both fatty acids transfer to the yolk. But predominant omega-3 fatty acid is ALA. Omega-3 fat is linked to brain and heart health. One omega-3 egg contains approximately 340 milligrams of ALA and 75 to 100 milligrams of DHA. Some farms also add fish oil to the chicken’s feed to further increase the DHA content of egg yolks. ALA is an essential fatty acid as our body can’t produce it. Hence it must be obtained from diet. Adult women need 1,100 mg a day and men require 1,600 mg. One omega-3 egg supplies 20 to 30 per cent of a day’s worth of ALA. Consuming too many eggs to meet the requirement may increase bad cholesterol and diabetes risk. They cost a little higher than normal eggs. There is no specific recommendation about type of egg in heart healthy diet.

Nutritional profile, quality and type is same to a large extent in brown eggs and white eggs. However, brown eggs are more expensive than the white ones. Hence, it is not recommended one above the other.

There is little effect on heart with occasional egg intake (e.g., up to 2 or 3/week). It is recommended to consider eggs as healthful alternatives to certain foods (e.g., processed meats, starch, sugars) but less beneficial than others (e.g., fruits, nuts, beans, fish). Frequent consumption of egg (7+ eggs/week) rarely may lead to diabetes but this fact is not proved in all studies. Indeed,   frequent consumers experience more heart problems in diabetes. However, higher egg consumption lowers the risk of brain stroke.

Healthy adults without comorbidities can enjoy egg every day without increasing their risk of heart disease, and that eggs can be a part of a variety of healthy eating patterns. There is no much impact on lipid profile in them. However, health benefits in heart patients and diabetes are inconclusive. They can take egg white with no adverse effect. It may be better to limit egg yolk to few servings only (a maximum of 2-4 per week).  It’s considered prudent to limit foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat for the rest of the day on the day of egg consumption.

Heart healthy diet should contain a maximum of 8-9 servings per week under Poultry (skin and visible fat removed), meat (Lean and extra-lean) and eggs. Three ounces (oz.) of cooked lean meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards which equals one serving. 2 egg whites or 1 egg is equal to one serving. Making things more complicated, some dietary guidelines removed the recommendation of limiting cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg per day. However, the guidelines advise that individuals should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible while consuming a healthy eating pattern. Healthy eating pattern emphasizes on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, and nuts.

Aim for a dietary pattern that achieves 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat. That’s about 13 grams of saturated fat. Egg contains 1.6 grams of saturated fat. If your doctor want you to avoid the extra cholesterol, use only the egg whites. If you do eat eggs with a side of bacon, it’s likely the bacon will have more effect on your cholesterol levels than the eggs. Instead, try eating eggs with vegetables such as spinach, mushroom, tomato and avocado.

In nutshell, egg has negligible benefits or harm on heart health in majority of the individual. Egg white has no harm in majority except those who have allergy, but yolk may be considered harmful in some. Stay away from egg if one has egg allergy.