Are eggs healthy to eat or not?

That has been a question for decades and the answers have varied from yes they are healthy to undetermined to no they are not healthy.

When cholesterol was discovered and linked to heart disease, it was discovered that eggs contain cholesterol and therefore were not healthy in large quantities. If you look at many diet plans, they recommend eating no more than 3 eggs a week. Some diets restrict to only 1 egg a week and others say that eggs are a no no, just like red meats and processed meats.

I am overweight, have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure and the diet my doctor’s office recommended says no more than 3 eggs a week. Even though my cholesterol levels are in the good range, the dietician at the doctor’s office stressed cutting back on eggs because of the cholesterol.

Then, some reports came out that eggs were not the evil food as once portrayed and they were okay to eat. A post from the Harvard School of Public Health stated:

Eggs and Health

• Research on moderate egg consumption in two large prospective cohort studies (nearly 40,000 men and over 80,000 women) found that up to one egg per day is not associated with increased heart disease risk in healthy individuals.
• Eggs were previously associated with heart disease risk as a result of their high cholesterol content. However, a solid body of research shows that for most people, cholesterol in food has a smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than does the mix of fats in the diet….
• The bottom line: while eggs may not be the optimal breakfast choice, they are certainly not the worst, falling somewhere in the middle on the spectrum of food choice and heart disease risk. For those looking to eat a healthy diet, keeping intake of eggs moderate to low will be best for most, emphasizing plant-based protein options when possible.

So, are eggs okay to eat in moderation? According to the Harvard report, it would seem so. However, according to a brand-new report, the answer is no:

“A new report links eating eggs to an increased risk of heart disease. The results follow several earlier studies that found eating eggs was generally healthy.”

“The JAMA Network Open published the new report in March. It combines data from six other earlier studies. It shows a 6 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.”

“Norrina Allen, who co-wrote the report, is an associate professor of preventative medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.”

“She told the Reuters news service that, in the United States, eggs are generally one of the top sources of cholesterol in a person’s diet. Individuals with higher levels of cholesterol in their diet are at increased risk for the development of heart disease later in life, she said.”

I always have to wonder about reports like this because I firmly believe that a person’s cholesterol levels are linked to a person’s genetics. Case in point is my dad and a friend of mine.

My dad ate two eggs and 2 slices of bacon almost every day for most of his life. When dad was in his 60s, a doctor tested his cholesterol and found that it was extremely low. Likewise, I often consume more than 3 eggs a week (sometimes as many as 6-9 eggs a week) and yet my cholesterol levels are not high, but well within the good range.

The friend of mine had heart problems and several heart attacks. His cholesterol was very high. He was put on a cholesterol free diet and anti-cholesterol drugs and yet his cholesterol remained very high and at times actually increased.

So, are eggs the evil villains or not? This new report says yes, but I wonder if the study looked at family history and genetics? Therefore, I’m not going to say not to eat eggs nor am I gong to say it’s okay to eat them. Ultimately, you have make that decision for yourself.