The Truth About Eggs – And How Many Is Too Many
If you Google the health benefits vs. risks of eggs, it won’t be long before your brain feels fried. In the past month alone, two conflicting studies have hit headlines.
The first study, published in the European Heart Journal, suggests eating eggs can increase the risk of some types of stroke. The researchers found that for every extra 20g of eggs consumed a day, there was a 25% higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke – a type that accounts for 15% of all strokes, caused by bleeding in the brain that damages nearby cells.
The second study, however, suggests the opposite. The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found “no significant associations” between eating up to seven eggs per week and instances of heart disease or stroke. The authors also pointed out that eggs offer “a rich source of essential nutrients”.
Dr Frankie Phillips, a dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association (BDA), says as with all research, there are conflicting reports. But, she tells HuffPost UK: “All major heart and health advisory bodies in the UK agree that the cholesterol in eggs has no significant effect on heart disease risk.”
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Where does the confusion come from, then?
Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, says “messaging around eggs can often be scrambled” because egg yolks are a source of dietary cholesterol. Many of us have a vague idea that high cholesterol is bad for our health – but that oversimplifies the equation and makes eggs the scapegoat.
“Like high blood pressure, having a high cholesterol level is a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases,” Taylor explains. “However, for most people it’s the cholesterol we produce in our bodies that is more important – and this is influenced more by the...
