Cholesterol has been villianized as a major threat to your health due to its apparent role in causing heart disease. We all know this has been show to be inaccurate. See here. To this day, zero definitive evidence exists implicating cholesterol intake as a causative factor in heart disease. The media, big pharma, and much of the medical establishment are instructing many to avoid cholesterol. But why?
Do cholesterol containing foods raise serum cholesterol? In over two thirds of the population, the answer is No! This means that around 70% of individuals experience little to no increases in serum cholesterol when challenged with a diet containing cholesterol. (1)
The 30% of the population that does experience an increase in dietary cholesterol when consuming a diet rich in cholesterol actually receive benefit from it as LDL particle size increases (large, buoyant, pattern A) which is less atherogenic than the small, dense LDL particles (pattern B). People whose LDL is primarily small and dense have three times the risk of heart disease as people whose LDL is primarily large and buoyant.(2) In addition, the HDL/LDL ratio remains the same as both values increase equally.(1) HDL/LDL ratio and LDL particle size are said to be better preditors of cardiovascular disease risk than total cholesterol.
Cholesterol researcher Dr. Maria Luz Fernandez summarized the results of a number of studies testing the effects of egg consumption on blood cholesterol levels in a review done in 2006. In children aged 10-12, in men aged 20-50, in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, in whites and hispanics, the same basic finding persists: two or three eggs per day has little or no effect on the blood cholesterol levels of over two thirds of the population.(2)
Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations.
“PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Extensive research has not clearly established a link between egg consumption and risk for coronary heart disease. The effects of egg intake on plasma lipids and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) atherogenicity in healthy populations need to be addressed. RECENT FINDINGS: The lack of connection between heart disease and egg intake could partially be explained by the fact that dietary cholesterol increases the concentrations of both circulating LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in those individuals who experience an increase in plasma cholesterol following egg consumption (hyperresponders). It is also important to note that 70% of the population experiences a mild increase or no alterations in plasma cholesterol concentrations when challenged with high amounts of dietary cholesterol (hyporesponders). Egg intake has been shown to promote the formation of large LDL, in addition to shifting individuals from the LDL pattern B to pattern A, which is less atherogenic. Eggs are also good sources of antioxidants known to protect the eye; therefore, increased plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in individuals consuming eggs are also of interest, especially in those populations susceptible to developing macular degeneration and eye cataracts. SUMMARY: For these reasons, dietary recommendations aimed at restricting egg consumption should not be generalized to include all individuals. We need to acknowledge that diverse healthy populations experience no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol but, in contrast, they may have multiple beneficial effects by the inclusion of eggs in their regular diet.”
Resources
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16340654
2. http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Rich-Foods-Raise-Blood-Cholesterol.html
This article is wrong. Studies that failed to show a relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol universally have mean cholesterol intakes of participantsthat are off the charts by modern dietary standards. There is a threshold effect. At about 400 mg/dl there is no relationship between serum and dietary cholesterol. At cholesterol levels below that there is a relationship. This is called a “parabolic effect”.