Cholesterol

Until recently it was thought that cholesterol in food was an important factor in high blood cholesterol. We now know that dietary cholesterol alone is not significant for most people.  Recent research has clearly identified saturated fat as the main influence on blood cholesterol, while all types of fat as well as lack of exercise affect weight, while reducing salt and losing excess weight help to lower blood pressure. 

Dietary cholesterol, once thought to be a major cause of high blood cholesterol, is now known to be a less important issue.  Research showed that adding two eggs a day to the diet of people with normal cholesterol levels produced no rise in the level of LDL (or bad) cholesterol. Even at three eggs a day, the effect on blood cholesterol was equivalent to eating 10g of butter or 30g of cheese.*

So, if saturated fat and not cholesterol is the most important dietary contributor to heart disease shouldn’t you be taking advantage of the benefits of eggs?
For more helpful information on egg nutrition, visit the Australian Egg Corporation’s website at www.eggs.org.au or for more detailed information about eggs, nutrition and food safety visit: www.enag.org.au

*A group of men and women were given various diets to determine the effect of the diets on blood cholesterol levels. Clifton P.M, Nestel P.J. Influence of Gender, Body Mass Index and Age in response of Plasma Lipids to Dietary Fat plus Cholesterol. Arteriosclerosis & Thrombosis: 12: 955-962.