Eggs are one of the most nutritious food on earth and there are several health benefits of eating eggs. A whole egg contains all the nutrients needed to convert a single cell into an entire chicken. However, eggs got a bad reputation because egg yolks contain high cholesterol.
Most people have this misconception that eating egg yolks is not good for health as they contain high cholesterol. People think by eating egg yolks their cholesterol levels will increase and they might get severe heart diseases.
But it is not that simple. There are a lot of myths related to egg yolks and cholesterol. So let’s bust some myths and learn some facts.
How much Cholesterol does Egg Yolks contain?
The egg is one of the most nutritious food on earth and most of its nutrients are present in egg yolks. Egg yolk of an average-sized egg contains:
- Protein – 2.5 gm
- Fat – 4.8 gm
- Saturated fat – 1.7 gm
- Polyunsaturated fat – 0.8 gm
- Saturated fat – 2 gm
- Cholesterol – 185 mg
- Carbohydrates – 0.5 gm
In a whole egg, all the cholesterol found in the egg yolk only. In contrast, the egg white or egg albumin contains only protein and zero cholesterol.
SUMMARY: An average-sized egg contains 185 mg of cholesterol. It is 62% of the recommended daily intake of cholesterol.
Types of Cholesterol and How They Affect.
Cholesterol is measured in mainly two categories:
- Bad cholesterol or LDL (Low-Density Lipoproteins)
- Good cholesterol or HDL (High-Density Lipoproteins)
Lipoproteins are made up of proteins and fats. Now the whole game is about the balancing of these levels.
LDL or bad cholesterol levels should be kept low, whereas you should have a high level of HDL or good cholesterol.
Why HDL is good cholesterol…
HDL transports cholesterol to your liver and from there it expelled from your body. HDL helps rid your body of excess cholesterol so there are fewer chances to end up in your arteries. For these reasons HDL is known as “good cholesterol”.
Why LDL is bad cholesterol…
LDL takes cholesterol to your arteries. Now high cholesterol levels may increase the risk of blood clots in your arteries. If a blood clot breaks away and blocks an artery in your heart or brain, you may have a heart attack or stroke. For these reasons LDL is known as “bad cholesterol”.
SUMMARY: It is of 2 types – good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol. A higher ratio of HDL to LDL is a sigh of good health.
How your body manages Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is highly useful for your body. It is used to make very important hormones like testosterone and estrogen.
Your body knows the importance of cholesterol and it is smart enough to make sure that it always has enough cholesterol available. Your body has evolved to manage cholesterol levels on its own.
The liver produces a good amount of cholesterol to fulfill the needs of your body. But when you eat a lot of cholesterol-rich foods like egg yolks, your liver reduces its cholesterol production (1).
Therefore, the total amount of cholesterol in your body remains almost the same. Only the source change – your liver or your diet (2).
Still, you should avoid eating excessive amounts of cholesterol. A high intake may increase your blood cholesterol levels (3, 4).
SUMMARY: Your liver regulates cholesterol very efficiently. When you eat more cholesterol-rich foods like egg yolks, it starts producing less.
How Many Egg Yolks you can eat per day?
The common recommendation says that you should not consume more than one egg yolk in a day. However, there are no scientific explanations for this recommendation.
Many studies have done to examine the effects of egg yolks on cholesterol levels. These studies divided people into two groups – one group ate 2-4 whole eggs daily and the other group did not eat eggs at all.
These studies have shown that in almost all cases, good cholesterol goes up while bad cholesterol levels usually remain unchanged (5, 6).
Science clearly showed that eating up to 3 egg yolks per day is safe for healthy people. Though the response of eating whole eggs on cholesterol levels varies from person to person (7).
Studies were done on people who are eating 5-6 egg yolks daily with regular exercise and a healthy diet shows that there is no increase in their blood cholesterol levels.
SUMMARY: Science shows that eating 2-3 egg yolks per day is perfectly safe for healthy people. You can eat even more if you are doing regular exercise and taking a healthy diet.
Egg Yolks And The Cholesterol Myth – Conclusion
So this was the science behind the misconceptions related to egg yolks and the cholesterol. Eating a few egg yolks daily does not increase your bad cholesterol levels if you are healthy and taking a balanced diet overall.
Stop believing in myths and start eating the whole egg as egg yolk is the most nutritious part. Eatinew egg yolks
Along with healthy fats and high-quality protein, there are a lot of essential vitamins and minerals present in it. Due to this, eggs provide you various health benefits.
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Yup, egg yolks are damn healthy. It’s stupidity to not eating them.