I'm in the camp of the dietary skeptic. As you noted, the advice re eggs (and butter and cheese and fish and whole milk and whatever else) has swung wildly over the past few decades. As a vegetarian, I rely on whole eggs for B12 and protein, and have 5-6 per week. Not eating meat means my total intake of dietary cholesterol is low, anyway.
I can certainly sympathise with your skepticism. It doesn’t do much for confidence when advice switches about like a flag in the wind.
It’s important to differentiate between what the wider research community is saying and what’s getting airtime on social media. Often the underlying science isn’t changing half as much as the public noise suggests.
I’m also more confident these days as we have multiple meta-analyses (which combine data from multiple studies), a technique that wasn’t used very much until about 20 years ago, and large datasets with information from hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of people, often followed for decades. I do think these give us a better handle on how something affects long-term health.
Your situation perfectly illustrates the challenges of trying to answer binary questions like ‘Are eggs good or bad for you?’ The real answer so often is, ‘It depends.’
I eat three whites with one yolk daily. I'm worried about my cholesterol since the doctor removed my statin 18 months ago, saying I no longer needed one. It's taken me three recent visits to convince him to order labs. I'm anxious to see the results after reading this article. I exercise a lot for 68 and getting enough protein in my diet is challenging. Egg whites are a benign go-to. Good article!
Hi, Patti. It’s great that your lipids had improved to the point that your doctor didn’t think you needed statins anymore. You must be doing lots of things right.
You’re right to keep an eye on them once in a while. With a bit of luck they’ll still be well within healthy levels. If they’re creeping up, you can re-visit your egg yolk every day. And yes, absolutely, egg whites are fine.
I was surprised to see the article today! But as always great information. I like having a few hard boiled eggs on hand for a quick one egg protein grab to go with a soup or salad lunch or with some fruit at work for a snack, but not daily. Occasionally I have eggs for weekend breakfast or a quick dinner after work but processed meats are a rare thing in my house. Definitely have done one whole egg plus whites for an egg scramble. I appreciate the practical information as always.
Hi Dee. You and me both! I set it up to come out on Saturday as usual, then accidentally pressed Publish instead of Schedule. So… happy Thursday!
I hear you. That’s the painful bit about eggs. They’re packed with nutrients, really versatile, quick and easy to cook and tasty to boot. I hear there’s some work to create the cholesterol-free eggs, but I suspect that would require some genetic modification to chickens.
A quick note: this issue was scheduled for Saturday, but I accidentally sent it early while adjusting the publication settings. Whoops! Please enjoy the unexpectedly early edition.
I'm in the camp of the dietary skeptic. As you noted, the advice re eggs (and butter and cheese and fish and whole milk and whatever else) has swung wildly over the past few decades. As a vegetarian, I rely on whole eggs for B12 and protein, and have 5-6 per week. Not eating meat means my total intake of dietary cholesterol is low, anyway.
I can certainly sympathise with your skepticism. It doesn’t do much for confidence when advice switches about like a flag in the wind.
It’s important to differentiate between what the wider research community is saying and what’s getting airtime on social media. Often the underlying science isn’t changing half as much as the public noise suggests.
I’m also more confident these days as we have multiple meta-analyses (which combine data from multiple studies), a technique that wasn’t used very much until about 20 years ago, and large datasets with information from hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of people, often followed for decades. I do think these give us a better handle on how something affects long-term health.
Your situation perfectly illustrates the challenges of trying to answer binary questions like ‘Are eggs good or bad for you?’ The real answer so often is, ‘It depends.’
Such helpful info Dr Ben!
Thanks, Jan! I’m happy you found it helpful.
I eat three whites with one yolk daily. I'm worried about my cholesterol since the doctor removed my statin 18 months ago, saying I no longer needed one. It's taken me three recent visits to convince him to order labs. I'm anxious to see the results after reading this article. I exercise a lot for 68 and getting enough protein in my diet is challenging. Egg whites are a benign go-to. Good article!
Hi, Patti. It’s great that your lipids had improved to the point that your doctor didn’t think you needed statins anymore. You must be doing lots of things right.
You’re right to keep an eye on them once in a while. With a bit of luck they’ll still be well within healthy levels. If they’re creeping up, you can re-visit your egg yolk every day. And yes, absolutely, egg whites are fine.
I was surprised to see the article today! But as always great information. I like having a few hard boiled eggs on hand for a quick one egg protein grab to go with a soup or salad lunch or with some fruit at work for a snack, but not daily. Occasionally I have eggs for weekend breakfast or a quick dinner after work but processed meats are a rare thing in my house. Definitely have done one whole egg plus whites for an egg scramble. I appreciate the practical information as always.
Hi Dee. You and me both! I set it up to come out on Saturday as usual, then accidentally pressed Publish instead of Schedule. So… happy Thursday!
I hear you. That’s the painful bit about eggs. They’re packed with nutrients, really versatile, quick and easy to cook and tasty to boot. I hear there’s some work to create the cholesterol-free eggs, but I suspect that would require some genetic modification to chickens.
A quick note: this issue was scheduled for Saturday, but I accidentally sent it early while adjusting the publication settings. Whoops! Please enjoy the unexpectedly early edition.