Starting a day with an omelette and a glass of milk has become a habit for most people. Eating eggs in the morning is believed to be able to increase our endurance in the afternoon. However, some of us may choose to avoid that and rather consume other foods, such as fruit, for breakfast. As we all know, eggs are one of the foods that have a high level of cholesterol, especially in the yellow part.

Speaking of cholesterol, one of the main things is its effect that can increase the risk of heart-related diseases. According to a study conducted by Northwestern University, consuming eggs and other high- cholesterol foods can increase the risk of heart disease and death. In the study, it was found that consuming 300 mg of high-cholesterol foods could increase the risk of heart disease by 17% and death by 18%. Also, the consumption of 3-4 eggs per week is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and death by 6-8%.

The results were obtained after the researchers analysed 29,615 participants in America for 31 years. Each participant was asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their diet. During this time, 5,400 cardiovascular disease and 6,132 deaths were found.

According to one researcher, Wenze Zhong, we should improve our diet and reduce the intake of high-cholesterol foods such as eggs or red meat. Reducing doesn't mean not eating them at all, since eggs and red meat also contain essential amino acids, iron and choline.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Zhong, V.W., Horn, L.V., Cornelis, M.C., et all. (2019). Association of Dietary Cholesterol or Egg Consumption With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality. JAMA, 321 (11): 1081-1095, DOI: 10,1001 / jama.2019.1572.
• Science Daily - Higher egg and cholesterol consumption hikes heart disease and early death risk (2019). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110858.htm, March 26, 2019.