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Are eggs good or bad for your health? It actually depends on whom you ask. Which doesn’t help much when people are deciding whether to include them in their diets. This is especially true for those on the popular keto and similar diets. These emphasize large amounts of protein, including eggs.

So our primary care concierge doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter want to bring you up to date on all the latest research to help you decide for yourself if eggs are good or bad for your health.

The seesaw of advice

Studies in the 1940s appeared to link dietary cholesterol to blood (serum) cholesterol. It seemed to make sense: If you eat dietary cholesterol, it will show up in your bloodstream. So the scientific community began issuing warnings against such high-cholesterol foods as fats, meat, and dairy products.

In 1961, the American Heart Association (AHA) began warning about frequent egg consumption. It stated eggs raised blood cholesterol because of their high cholesterol content. But in 2014, the organization revised its recommendation. It then said up to one whole egg per day could be part of a health-conscious eating plan, as long as people lowered their consumption of other foods higher in cholesterol, such as meat, poultry, and dairy foods.

This was because further research showed dietary consumption of cholesterol contributes to only a small amount of the cholesterol found in the body. Our bodies not only create their own cholesterol, but also regulate how much appears in the bloodstream.

Finally, researchers warned the more damaging foods contributing to serum cholesterol were those high in saturated fat. This included butter, milk, red meat, poultry, and cheese.

Latest research, more confusion

As recently as last year, a large meta-analysis of 215,000 subjects found that eating one egg a day did not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Yet, earlier this year, a new study of over 500,000 people found conflicting results. It showed eating even a portion of one whole egg—including the yellow yolk, which contains all the egg’s dietary cholesterol—increased the risk of dying from all causes, including CVD and cancer.

According to the study, published in February in the journal PLOS Medicine, the overall risk of death increased by seven percent for each additional half of a whole egg eaten per day.

Some experts, however, questioned the study’s findings. The researchers only asked subjects once at the beginning of the study about their egg consumption. They then never asked again, despite following the participants for many years. Skeptics noted that participants could have changed their diets over the course of the study.

Indeed, other studies have reached opposite conclusions from the PLOS study. One performed in China reported in 2018 in the journal Heart surveyed 461,213 adults. They averaged 51 years of age and followed them over a nine-year span. It concluded those who consume an average of one egg a day may actually have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke than those who avoid them entirely.

“Among Chinese adults, a moderate level of egg consumption was significantly associated with lower risk of (cardiovascular disease), largely independent of other risk factors,” said an excerpt from the study.

Conflicting recommendations

Some cardiologists, though, still see eggs as the enemy.

Andrew Freeman, immediate past chair of the nutrition and lifestyle work group for the American College of Cardiology and director of clinical cardiology, cardiovascular prevention and wellness, and associate professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver, spoke to The Washington Post this month. He said he advises his patients to avoid egg yolks completely.

“One egg isn’t going to kill you on the spot, but why eat something that adds even a tiny bit of risk?” he said. “Risk is cumulative.”

On the other hand, the American Heart Association (AHA) currently states most people can eat up to one egg a day with no problem. It also says that older individuals with normal cholesterol levels can eat up to two eggs a day. That is if they’re otherwise consumed as part of a healthy diet. It recommends fewer, however, for those with diabetes, high cholesterol, or those who are overweight or at risk of heart failure.

It’s more than the eggs

The rest of a person’s diet seems to be key. The Japanese, for example, consume more eggs daily than any other culture. They are also known for their low incidence of heart disease, primarily because of their restricted consumption of saturated fat. The American breakfast which contains eggs also often includes such heart-risky accompaniments. Think: fried hash browns, sausages or bacon, and buttered toast, as well as the saturated fat many use to fry eggs.

As part of a heart-healthy diet, most experts seem to feel moderate egg consumption won’t hurt. Such a diet includes the Mediterranean diet rich in fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

Eggs, in fact, contain many nutrients that can improve health overall. They include vitamin D, choline, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and folate. Plus they have lutein and zeaxanthin, both necessary to prevent such common eye diseases as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

If you’re still unsure whether you can safely eat eggs, talk to us. We can help evaluate your overall health and recommend an approach to eggs that’s right for you.