Scientist Answers: do Eggs raise your Cholesterol??

Do eggs raise our cholesterol? Why are eggs, cholesterol and heart disease so controversial? A look at the evidence and sources of confusion on eggs, dietary and blood cholesterol.

A lot of you asked about eggs and cholesterol. There’s a lot of confusion around eggs so let's focus on whether eggs raise blood cholesterol.

Eggs have a lot of cholesterol but does that mean eating them raises my cholesterol levels? College students ate a large egg every day for three weeks and ended up with higher LDL-cholesterol, that’s the ‘bad’ cholesterol. Maybe they ate something else that raised their cholesterol?

Can we give people eggs without them even knowing it? Scientists gave people egg or egg substitute (four times less cholesterol). When people start off with eggs their blood cholesterol level shoots up, switch them to the substitute, their cholesterol drops. If we start them off with the egg substitute cholesterol goes down a bit from baseline, switch to real eggs, cholesterol shoots up (and volunteers didn’t know when they were eating egg)

Meta-analyses confirm eating cholesterol tends to raise our blood cholesterol levels. But the effect of food on our cholesterol level depends on context. If your cholesterol levels are low, the more cholesterol you eat, everything else being equal, the higher your blood cholesterol level will tend to go. But as you get to higher blood levels, the effect peters out.

Let’s say i want to prove that eggs don’t affect blood cholesterol levels. How can I do the experiment to get that result? 1) Take someone who already eats a lot of cholesterol and has high blood cholesterol, and ask if adding a little bit more in their diet makes a difference? Probably not

2) compare eggs to something that also raises cholesterol. Like red meat or butter (high in saturated fat). My cholesterol level is affected by the cholesterol I eat, but also saturated fat, unsaturated fats, fiber etc.

3) acknowledge that LDL-cholesterol goes up with eggs but argue that’s fine because HDL-Cholesterol also goes up. if you saw our video on LDL and HDL you may remember raising HDL-cholesterol doesn’t affect heart disease risk so this argument is not compelling

The egg industry funds many of the studies.
So eggs raise our cholesterol levels in general. Is it okay to eat eggs or not?
Example A: good health, great cholesterol levels, eats an egg here and there because he likes it. B: lipids are out of whack, high cholesterol, eats five eggs a day because he thinks he “needs the protein”.

So are eggs good or bad? Eggs aren’t necessary but it’s also not true that if your diet includes some eggs it’s automatically unhealthy.

I don’t eat eggs personally but at the end of the day it’s less about specific foods and more about the overall dietary pattern. A diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol will raise your cholesterol, with or without eggs, and a diet high in fiber and unsaturated plant fats will have the opposite effect, even if you sometimes eat eggs.

People often ask about Egg whites. In all likelihood they won’t raise your blood cholesterol as much (they lack the fat and cholesterol fraction).

But when people ask about egg whites it’s often rooted in the notion that we need massive amounts of protein from specific foods like eggs. So if you eat egg whites here and there because you enjoy them and you’re generally healthy I don’t see a problem but if you’re slamming egg whites as a staple source of protein because you’re stressing out about getting enough protein, chances are you don’t need to. our society’s protein fixation is not conducive to health. In this video we covered LDL, HDL and what they mean and this one goes over the best foods your cholesterol.

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Animations: Even Topland @toplandmedia

References:

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

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[pioooootras]

Wow, just spent an hour jumping from one egg video to another and by far this is the best, no bs and honest summary. Automatic sub!

[desmonheck]

I’ve been watching so many videos this morning on whether or not eggs are good and this is the best video I’ve seen on the question. 🍳

[bernhardwalther]

Clear explanation. Some people choose eggs because the cost is lower than meat.

[svenroll]

I really love the way you do your Videos. Just trying to share the science, giving your opinion without telling someone what to do. Keep it up!

[marcdaniels]

Live your videos:
1. NHS UK - Eggs are an excellent source of protein,
there is no recommended limit on how
many eggs you should eat a week, but
variety is important to a balanced diet,
so try poached, boiled, omelette to make
sure you mix up your meals.

2. Diet is responsible for about 20% of cholesterol

3. Heart disease is multifaceted and chasing a single number is somewhat insufficient as a solution - family history, smoking, alcohol, blood pressure, weight, exercise regime, plaque deposition in arteries all very important too.

[josenascimento]

concerning this issue, i miss the information and explanation about the fact that more or less 65/70% of our cholesterol is produced not come directly from food. Only 30/35% of it comes directly from food. its is a game changer in the analisys

[Struwwel]

I for one appreciate your measured approach to these topics.

I've watched videos by egg advocates, and they seldom or never mention protein. The case they make is that the yolk is dense with beneficial nutrients. Stands to reason; a yolk has everything it needs to develop into a baby chicken.

[gretalsosaoro]

Finally someone that makes it easy to understand without all the bloody jargon

[MikeBassil]

*Summary:
- Eggs do raise cholesterol levels, especially in people who are starting with low cholesterol
- In people with already high cholesterol, eating eggs will not raise their cholesterol by much (hyperbolic curve effect). However, they should probably avoid eggs with the aim of lowering their cholesterol.
- Eggs may raise both LDL and HDL, but the fact that they raise LDL ("bad") is more significant to their effects on health.
- Egg whites are a good, but not essential, protein source
- Healthy individuals with diets rich in fiber and unsaturated fats can choose to eat an egg here and there, based on personal preference.

[twanyx]

This is the most simple, honest and straight forward explanation about this topic I have ever heard! Thank you👍🏻

[chloecrawford]

Honestly BEST EXPLANATION EVER. I love learning all the nuances.

[kdezmbc]

My dad eats 3 soft boiled eggs every single day for breakfast. He went for a health checkup last week and the results show his HDL to be desirable and LDL at optimal levels.

I do the same thing too. Am waiting for my results next week.

BTW, we are also on a low carb diet and eat more greens, fat, moderate amounts of meat.

[Smileysue]

I want to know what they were using as an egg substitute because I've tried a lot of egg substitutes but could always, easily tell the difference. Thank you for posting, I really like your video and plan on saving it

[bme]

Eating eggs raised my HDL from 50 to 77. Total cholesterol remained the same as LDL went down.

[guycalabrese]

Very well explained! You are the "Master Jedi" level on explaining! Kudos to you!

[dcvlogsd]

The highest amounts of nutrients in the egg is in the…..YOLK! It contains high amounts of vitamin A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, and B12,

[johnkenney]

I've seen countless nutrition videos on the internet. Your videos are refreshingly simple, scientific, and easily applied to the real world! I was wondering if you had any plans to write a book? Thank you!

[wgmngom]

Dr Gil thank you for your youtube videos. Your unbiased, impartial information is based on clinical trials. Plus your pleasant friendly manner is a plus. When you explained how you researched for your mother's irritable bowel looking for solutions I knew you were a solid guy.

[CANEHURRICANE]

A legitimately logical and well balanced video..instant subscription

[supimsatan]

Maybe this is true. But if you look at the Japanese which eat on average 320 eggs per year(Number 1 in the world). And they are one of the healthiest people on earth.