Delicious UK - (08)August 2020

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GOODIN(MOST)PARTS

Onthepositiveside,eggsare

packedwithnutrients.They’rean

excellentsourceofprotein:one

largeeggcontainsaround7.5gor

12 percentoftheRDAformen.

Theyalsocontaingoodamountsof

vitaminsD,A,B2(riboflavin),B12,

folate,lutein,choline,iodineand

selenium.Andeatingeggswith

otherfoodscanboosttheabsorption

ofcertainnutrients.Forexample,

onestudyfoundthataddingeggs

toa saladwitha varietyofrawveg

helpsthebodyabsorbcarotenoids,

whichhelpreduceinflammation.

Eggscontainmoderateamounts

offats,butmostofthem(about3g

ina largeegg)aremonounsaturated

andpolyunsaturated.Thesehealthy

fatsarethekindwe’retoldtoeat

mostofastheyprovideomega-3

fattyacidsandfat-solublevitamins,

aswellashelpingreducetherisk

ofheartdisease.Eggsalsocontain

satfats– thekindwe’readvised

tolimit– butonlysmallamounts

(around1.5g).Mostcontentiously,

onelargeeggcontains185mg

cholesterol– allofit intheyolk.

SCRAMBLEDMESSAGES

Themediamessagingabout

cholesterolis confused.Once,it

wasthoughtthateatingfoodshigh

incholesterol,suchaseggs,caused

highlevelsofbloodcholesterol.But

scientistsnowbelievethetwo

thingsareonlyweaklyrelated.

Mostofthecholesterolinour

bloodis madebytheliverand

transportedthroughtheblood

bymoleculescalledlipoproteins.

Thekindknownaslow-density

lipoprotein(LDL)cholesterolis the

‘bad’stuff.It travelsfromtheliver

toarteriesandbodytissues,and

build-upscanlimitbloodflowand

increasetheriskofcardiovascular

disease.Butresearchersdon’tknow

forsurewhetherconsumingtoo

muchcholesterol-richfoodcauses

this.It couldbethatthetypesand

amountsoffatandcarbohydrates

weeatalsoplaya role.

“It’sourbloodcholesterolthat’s

moreimportant,andthisis

influencedmorebytheamountof

saturatedfatweeat,nottheamount

ofdietarycholesterolweeat,”says

TraceyParker,seniordietitianatthe

BritishHeartFoundation.Parker

saysit’sunclearexactlyhow

saturatedfatincreasesLDL

cholesterol,orwhichkindsof

saturatedfatsarethemainculprits.

“Butdietshighinsaturatedfat

increasebloodcholesterollevels,

whichis a riskfactorforheartand

circulatorydiseases.”Thisis why

UKdietaryguidelinesdon’thave

a restrictiononhowmuch

cholesterol– oreggs– weconsume.

CRACKSINTHEEVIDENCE?

Theproblemis,theeggdebateis

ongoing.A studypublishedinthe

JournaloftheAmericanMedical

Associationin 2019 receivedglobal

attentionbecauseit suggestedthe

cholesterolineggscould,infact,

increasetheriskofcoronaryheart

diseaseanddeath.Butmany

expertspointoutthatalthoughthe

studywaslargeandhighquality,it

didn’tprovethateatingeggscaused

heartdisease,justa possiblelink.

TomSanders,professoremeritus

ofnutritionanddieteticsatKing’s

CollegeLondon,saysotherthings

mighthavecausedthehigherdeath

anddiseaseratesamongpeoplein

thestudywhoatelotsofeggs.

“There’sa strongcorrelationofegg

intakewithunhealthyaspectsof

lifestyle,includingsmoking,

obesity,highredandprocessed

meatintakeandlowintakeoffruit

andveg,”hesays.“It’simpossible

toruleoutconfoundingfactors

when habits are strongly correlated

with each other.” Prof Sanders says

the study also conflicts with

previous research. One large

Chinese study found egg

consumption was linked to a lower

risk of heart disease, while a 2015

US study found no link at all. “Eggs

in moderation – three or four a

week – are fine,” Prof Sanders says.

Tracey Parker says the evidence

suggests up to one egg a day has no

ill-effects, though those with

familial hypercholesterolaemia

(a genetic condition causing high

cholesterol from birth) should eat

no more than three or four a week.

She suggests paying attention to

the trimmings served with eggs

and how they’re cooked. “Poached

eggs on wholegrain toast is a much

healthier meal than a fry-up.”

THE YOLK OF THE MATTER

Eggs can be enjoyed as part of

a healthy varied diet and in the

UK there’s no recommended upper

limit on how many people should

eat. However, some experts suggest

consuming eggs in moderation. It’s

also recommended you cook eggs

without saturated fat and with

healthy accompaniments such as

wholegrain toast and vegetables.

T

here’s no disputing that egg yolks are high in cholesterol and

some studies have linked this to an increased risk of heart disease.

But the evidence on this is conflicting, and to make the situation

more complicated, eggs also contain compounds thought to lower the

risk of heart disease. What’s more, scientists now believe cholesterol

in food is not as problematic as previously thought.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 41

health matters.

Eating lots of eggs is proven to

increase your risk of heart disease

T TRUE T FALSE

Eggs are an excellent source of

protein and other nutrients

T TRUE T FALSE

There is no recommended upper

limit on the number of eggs you can

eat in the UK

T TRUE T FALSE

Egg yolks are high in cholesterol

T TRUE T FALSE

Dietary cholesterol has a small effect

on blood cholesterol

T TRUE T FALSE

TRUE OR FALSE?