New research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that eating two eggs per day may decrease bad cholesterol levels, while saturated fats are likely to raise bad cholesterol levels.
The randomized crossover study included 61 healthy adult participants, of whom 48 completed the study. The participants were assigned to one of three dietary groups for five weeks at a time: a high-cholesterol, low-saturated fat diet including two eggs per day; a low-cholesterol, high-saturated fat diet without eggs; and a high-cholesterol, high-saturated fat control diet including one egg per week. Outcomes including cholesterol levels were assessed at the end of each diet phase. The goal of this study was to see how eggs and saturated fat influence unhealthy (LDL) cholesterol levels. High LDL cholesterol levels can lead to heart disease if left untreated.
The results of the study showed that the diet that included two eggs per day reduced levels of LDL cholesterol compared to the control diet, while the egg-free diet did not. Across all three diets, higher intake of saturated fat was associated with higher levels of LDL cholesterol. These results definitively showed that saturated fat, and not dietary cholesterol due to egg intake, increased levels of LDL cholesterol, while eating two eggs per day may actually help lower LDL cholesterol.
The authors of the study noted that eggs have been unfairly vilified in previous dietary guidelines due to their high cholesterol content. However, this study and others have shown that dietary cholesterol does not increase circulating levels of “bad” cholesterol in the bloodstream. Instead, dietary saturated fat seems to drive unhealthy cholesterol levels, which can ultimately lead to heart disease and even death. Common sources of saturated fat include processed breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon.
Sources: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Science Daily
