https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCp-wCBWJo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link In recent years, there has been a growing perception that eggs and dietary cholesterol aren’t as bad as we once thought. But a large new study calls this into question. . The study, published in one of the most prestigious medical journals, included 29,615 people followed for a median 17.5 years. The authors evaluated whether egg intake or dietary cholesterol was linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or death from any cause. . Their findings? The more eggs or cholesterol that participants consumed, the higher their risk of CV disease or death from any cause; there was a clear dose-response. . Specifically: each additional half of an egg per day was associated with a 6% increased risk of CV disease and 8% increased risk of death over the course of the study. The risks were even more dramatic in women—13% higher risk of CV disease and 16% higher risk of death for each additional half an egg per day. . Each additional 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day (1 egg=186mg cholesterol) was linked to a 17% increased risk of CV disease and an 18% increased risk of death from any cause (not to mention a 14% higher risk of heart failure and a 26% higher risk of stroke). Again, the risk was magnified in women (28% higher risk of death from any cause). . What about people eating an overall healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables? Notably, even these participants experienced a significantly higher risk of CV disease when they had an extra half an egg or 300mg cholesterol per day. . Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but these findings include adjustment for many variables and potential confounders, including age, sex, race, education, smoking, and physical activity, and remained significant even after authors controlled for diabetes, body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and other CV risk factors. . Bottom line: we have no biological requirement to consume cholesterol or eggs; indeed, this large study (among others) suggests that we are better off when we avoid them. Our bodies can make all the cholesterol we need, and we can get other nutrients found in eggs from healthier sources. . Reference: Zhong et al, JAMA 2019
