"I heard that eggs have high cholesterol content, do you get high blood pressure if you eat too much?"
"Didn't you say that eggs are high in protein? Why do my family say that eating too much is not good for your health?"
"More than one egg a day can cause physical problems?
Xiao Jiu often receives these questions about eating eggs in the background, and everyone is happy and afraid of eggs.
Therefore, eggs have also become the most controversial food in people's daily life, so are eggs harmful or beneficial to the human body?
1. Is there any basis for hard-boiled eggs to be the "main culprit" of cardiovascular diseases?
Many people believe that high cholesterol will cause cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and eggs have a high cholesterol content, according to statistics, a 50-gram egg contains 141–234ml of cholesterol, and it is concentrated in the yolk. Therefore, people subconsciously think: eating eggs = high cholesterol = high blood lipids, which will also induce cardiovascular disease.
But in fact, blood lipid levels are mainly affected by saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, although eggs contain a certain amount of saturated fat, but not much, and there is lecithin in it that can regulate blood lipid levels.
In addition, more than 70% of cholesterol in the human body is synthesized by itself, and only a small part is obtained through food intake, and the body has its own balance mechanism for cholesterol levels.
Moreover, eating eggs in moderation can also have a positive effect on the human body. The mainland has carried out a large-scale study on the risk prediction of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and after collecting follow-up data of more than 100,000 people in 15 provinces, it was found that eating about 3~6 eggs a week can reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.
Recently, Boston University in the United States also published a relevant study, showing that ≥ 5 eggs per week can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension by 28% and 32% respectively.
The graph comes from the network
2. Does eating an extra egg a day increase the risk of cancer?
As for the claim that eating an extra egg a day will increase the risk of cancer, it was actually first reported by the results of a 520,000-person study by Zhejiang University.
A research team led by Professor Zhang Yu and Professor Jiao Jingjing from the School of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science at Zhejiang University published a study published in PLOS Medicine by analyzing data from 520,000 subjects collected in the United States on the relationship between egg intake and all-cause mortality.
The graph comes from the network
Whole egg intake was found to be significantly associated with all-cause mortality, with data showing that consuming more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day increased the risk of premature death by 19% and the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer by 16% and 24%. You should know that 1 egg also contains 186 mg of cholesterol.
But soon some people said that the study was not rigorous, the data was taken from the American population, there were environmental dietary differences, and the conclusions were not necessarily applicable to Chinese. Moreover, the emphasis in the study is more about the intake of total cholesterol, and whether to eat eggs or not, how much to eat, don't forget that eggs also contain a variety of dietary nutrients that are beneficial to the human body, so it is still necessary to combine the actual situation of the individual.
3. If you want to eat eggs healthily, you must pay attention to these 3 points!
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022" recommends that the national should consume 300~350 grams of eggs per week, and the whole egg intake, about one egg a day on average. The "Chinese Guidelines for Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease" also recommends that eggs can be eaten appropriately, 3~5 a week can meet people's dietary nutritional needs.
Of course, in addition to properly supplementing egg nutrition, we should also be careful about these precautions for eating eggs:
1. Hairy eggs should not be eaten
Hairy eggs are about to hatch into chicks, generally common in northern areas, this kind of eggs are not cooked to eat, it is easy to be infected with salmonella and other germs, serious may lead to food poisoning, it is recommended to eat less.
2. Eat less tiger skin eggs
Tiger skin eggs are actually high-temperature fried eggs, although this kind of eggs taste good, but because of high-temperature frying, it destroys its own nutritional value, but also increases the risk of calories and cancer, and long-term consumption is also easy to induce cardiovascular and liver diseases.
3. Special groups should pay attention to restrictions
Patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or heart failure should not consume too many high-cholesterol foods, especially high-cholesterol foods such as fish, shrimp, meat, and eggs.
Therefore, in fact, as long as you eat normal eggs, not too much, there will generally be no other uncomfortable effects, and one egg a day is still helpful to human health.
Resources:
[1] "Eating eggs will affect the cardiovascular system?how many eggs can you eat every day?authoritative research →". Popular Science China.2023-04-27.
[2] "Egg Edible Nutrition Guide (2022)": How to Eat Eggs to Be Healthier", Health Management Center, Shenzhen People's Hospital, 2022-08-05.
[3] "Don't be strict about not more than one egg a day", Health Times.2016-04-26.
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