One of the most favorite parts of American breakfast, aside from toasted English muffin, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and a bagel with cream cheese, is eggs. Considered one of the healthiest foods on earth, eggs have vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B5, iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, zinc, folate, and vitamin E. With all these, eggs are indeed a great deal to start the day. But, is it healthy?
It has already been a debate for years whether eggs are really good for the body or not. Among all the studies conducted, there is but one recent research that tried to clear all these issues, according to TIME.
"Whether dietary cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease or death has been debated for decades. Positive, negative and [neutral] associations have been reported," shares study co-author Victor Wenze Zhong, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Despite the claims of another researcher about how healthy eggs can be, the research, which was published in JAMA, showed how the dietary cholesterol found in eggs can still pose a great threat to the body that could lead to heart diseases and even early death.
About 30,000 data of US adults, with an average age of 51, were observed to debunk the truth behind the real deal about our favorite breakfast. Throughout the research, the participants were able to share their dietary habits, lifestyle, and health and demographic information.
The study lasted for almost 31 years. During the duration of the research, Zhong and his colleagues found out that among all the participants, 6,100 people died and 5,400 of them eventually suffered from cardiovascular diseases.
By observing all the information gathered, the research revealed that the total consumption of dietary cholesterol, from sources such as dairy, meat, and eggs, indeed has a connection to the participant's higher risk of heart problems and early death, as reported by USA Today. People eating about four or more eggs per week have a higher cardiovascular disease of 6%. Death, on the other hand, is higher by 8%.
As of the writing, Zhong emphasized there is still no exact number of eggs considered healthy. So everyone must be aware of how many quantities they will eat daily, especially if they have a medical history of cardiovascular diseases.
"Limiting foods rich in dietary cholesterol, such as eggs, may be important to consider when choosing a healthy eating pattern," Zhong advises. "Egg whites, which are rich source of high-quality protein without dietary cholesterol, can be used to replace whole eggs," the researcher added.
