My two patients with high blood lipids, eating eggs without eating blood lipids test results, are completely different!
Mr. Zhang, 3 months ago found LDL 4.4mmol / L, he has no other risk factors, no hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, so it is recommended that he reduce LDL cholesterol to less than 3.4mmol / L. He usually loves to eat eggs, almost every day is two eggs, I told him to eat less eggs first, after a month to review.
After 1 month of re-examination of blood lipids, LDL cholesterol dropped to 3.1 mmol/L, I told him not to take medicine first, control the eggs, do not eat more. Your high LDL cholesterol is related to eating too many eggs.
Mr. Li found that LDL cholesterol is 4.3mmol/L 2 months ago, and Mr. Li also has no risk factors, so he also recommends that Mr. Li reduce LDL cholesterol to less than 3.4mmol/L. Mr. Li usually eats an average of one egg a day, I said or let's not eat eggs first, observe 1 and try it.
After a review of blood lipids after 1 month, Mr. Li's LDL cholesterol dropped to 4.1 mmol/L, and I told him that he needed medication intervention, because the impact of your eating eggs on lipid cholesterol is relatively small. Therefore, in the future, you can still keep eating an average of one egg per day, but it should not be too much, but it is not necessary to say that you do not eat eggs. Because even if you don't eat eggs, your blood lipids will rise.
Some people must have said, don't you doctors have always been popular, and diet has little effect on cholesterol? Does the diet only affect 20% of LDL cholesterol? Is 80% of LDL cholesterol elevations caused by autogenesis and metabolism?
This 20% is just an average data based on large-scale observational studies. In reality, each of us is not this average.
For example, the ideal value of blood pressure is 120/70mmHg, and in reality, we cannot have everyone's blood pressure at 120/70mmHg for a long time. So 20% of LDL cholesterol is affected by diet, this 20% is only an average, and not all of us are 20% affected by diet, in reality, mr. Zhang is more affected by diet, and Mr. Li is less affected by diet.
So eating eggs also needs to vary from person to person!
First, what the authority says
In 2013, the British Medical Journal, a study of 3 million adults, did not find that eating more eggs had an effect on human health.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans remove the limit on daily cholesterol intake for adults, which means that eggs are not restricted. But a study by Northwestern University School of Medicine, which tracked the health of 30,000 Americans for 17 years, found that an adult should eat one egg a day, and if they eat more, the chance of heart disease will increase.
On December 16, 2019, the American Heart Association released its latest report on cholesterol intake, recommending eating an egg yolk every day plus some egg white.
Of course, the above studies or guidelines are all Westerners' research and conclusions, which are suitable for Westerners. We In the East and the West have different physiques and eating habits, so we still have to refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents.
The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that we adults can eat 6 eggs per week, of course, this is a whole egg that includes egg white and egg yolk. (Of course, the guide is also a reference, and more importantly, it depends on your own reaction.) ）
Second, their own blood lipids are high or not to rely on physical examination rather than feeling
Our blood lipids are not high, can not rely on feelings, nor to look at the face, to see the eyes, but to go to the hospital to draw blood tests, test blood lipids four items: total cholesterol, triglycerides, hdL lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL cholesterol.
In particular, look at LDL cholesterol, because LDL cholesterol has a greater impact on blood vessels. After a long-term increase in LDL cholesterol, it will accelerate the aggravation of atherosclerosis, which in turn is plaque, which may lead to narrowing of blood vessels and cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
So we are more important to pay attention to LDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol is not high, must go to the test, not feel.
For all people over the age of 40, for high-risk groups with diabetes, hypertension, carotid artery plaque, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, family history of cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc., they should know whether their blood lipids are high or not as soon as possible. Regardless of whether the blood lipids are high or not, we recommend that we do a lipid test once a year in these groups.
If the blood lipids are not high, especially the LDL cholesterol has reached the standard, then continue to eat eggs according to the usual habit of eating eggs. If the blood lipids are high, especially the LDL cholesterol is high, then pay attention when eating eggs.
How to pay attention? Read on!
Third, eggs have little effect on their own blood lipids
When we find that our LDL cholesterol is higher than the ideal level, then it is necessary to judge that eating eggs has little impact on our LDL cholesterol.
The simple way to judge is: if you find that LDL is high, you can skip eggs for the next month, and then review LDL cholesterol after a month.
If you do not eat eggs for a month, your LDL cholesterol decline is relatively large, for example, it can drop by 50%, then eating eggs has a greater impact on your blood lipids, so you must reduce eating eggs in the future.
If you do not eat eggs for a month, your LDL cholesterol decline is relatively small, for example, the decline is within 20%, or there is no change at all, then it means that you eat eggs have a relatively small impact on your blood lipids, then in the future, according to the frequency and how many eggs you usually eat, an average of about 6 eggs a week.
IV. Conclusion
1, can eat, but should not be too much. Whether it is the average data of the guide, or the theory that we are too late, and whether the egg has a great impact on your blood lipids, it is not recommended to eat more eggs, under the advice of the "Guide", generally about 6 per week is enough.
2, want to eat, do not want to eat can not eat. You usually have the habit of eating eggs, even if you have three highs and cardiovascular disease, you can continue to eat, eggs do not eat contraindicated foods. You don't usually like to eat eggs or it is uncomfortable to eat eggs, so you don't have to eat eggs reluctantly.
3, understand their own blood lipids, personalized eat eggs. People who need to know their own LDL cholesterol, especially those with three highs and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, should know their LDL cholesterol. If eggs have a greater impact on their LDL, they should eat less or no. If eggs have little effect on their LDL cholesterol, then continue to eat according to your usual eating habits.
In short, our life, our diet, should refer to the guide, but not the originalism, we have to be guided by the guide, it varies from person to person!
In the end, both Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li could continue to eat eggs, but it was suggested that Mr. Zhang eat less, and Mr. Li still ate one a day as before. But no matter what, regardless of whether eating eggs has a great impact on their own blood lipids, we do not recommend eating too many eggs, for healthy people, it is still recommended to follow the guidance of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", about 6 per week, more reasonable!