Eggs and cholesterol

[trevman]

My mam keeps getting concerned at BB's for eating so many eggs so often. She keeps fretting over their cholesterol level. Anyone know of any articles that say so/otherwise? Thanks.

[zackmurphy]

My mam keeps getting concerned at BB's for eating so many eggs so often. She keeps fretting over their cholesterol level. Anyone know of any articles that say so/otherwise? Thanks.

Eggs DO have cholesterol, Champ. It's all in the yolks, though, so if you can eat just the whites, you're fine. If you can't do that, for every 3 egg whites, include a yolk.

[trevman]

hmmmmm, seems a bit of a waste to be throwing away the yolks

[Kaja]

...but think of all that money you'll be saving not having to pay an MD to do surgery on you just to avoid a heart attack.

[Steve_W]

Cholesterol is not a fat. It is a waxy, fat-like substance produced by all animals, including humans. It is needed for many bodily functions and serves to insulate nerve fibers, maintain cell walls and produce vitamin D, digestive juices and is the "Mother" of our hormones. As far as bodybuilders are concerned, cholesterol is important in testosterone production, a hormone heavily involved in muscle tissue formation. Cholesterol is essential for life. Your body produces all the cholesterol it needs. If you consume more cholesterol than your body needs, it will respond by absorbing less.

There is a difference between dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol you consume in foods) and blood cholesterol (the cholesterol in your bloodstream, also called serum cholesterol). Dietary cholesterol is present in varying amounts in some foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products. Dietary cholesterol does not automatically become blood cholesterol when you eat it.

Blood cholesterol can be broken down into two major parts: HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and LDL (low-density lipoprotein). HDL is known as good cholesterol because it helps move cholesterol back to the liver for removal from the bloodstream. LDL is referred to as the bad cholesterol because helps cholesterol stick to artery walls. Nice.

There is little doubt that elevated blood cholesterol levels increase the risk of heart disease and the effect of dietary cholesterol on blood cholesterol levels is the subject of debate among health professionals. This is because genetics play a large role in how much cholesterol and individual’s body makes, so research does not show that food cholesterol significantly boosts blood cholesterol levels in everyone.

Saturated fat has the greatest influence on raising LDL and blood cholesterol. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are known to reduce the LDL and actually help raise the HDL.

Egg yolks are a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals. With the exception of riboflavin and niacin, the yolk contains a higher proportion of the egg's vitamins than the white. All of the egg's vitamins A, D and E are in the yolk. Out of general interest you may note that egg yolks are one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D. As far as mineral content goes, the yolk also contains more phosphorus, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, and calcium than the white, and it contains all of the zinc.

The fatty acid composition of the egg has no real relationship to the effects of dietary cholesterol on plasma cholesterol levels. Basically, some individuals are more sensitive to the effects of dietary cholesterol than others. So for this I would say that if your family has a history of high cholesterol or heart problems, don’t eat a ridiculous amount of whole eggs each day, but the odd few yolks for the protein, good fats, vitamins and minerals can be very beneficial, especially for bodybuilders. I myself eat 2 egg yolks everyday and my cholestrol levels are just fine!

Eggs are also packed with betaine, a compound that helps lower homocysteine levels in the blood by as much as 75 percent. Eggs are one of the few good food sources of betaine.

Choline is an essential nutrient required by the body to make several important compounds necessary for healthy cell membranes. Choline helps form phosphatidylcholine, the primary phospholipid of cell membranes. Choline is also the precursor to acetylcholine, one of the important brain chemicals involved in memory. It also helps in the production of lipotropic agents which converts fats into useful products and aids in the production of HDL (good) cholesterol. Guess what, eggs are one of the best sources of choline!!

From my studies, and my own opinion I think 1 or 2 egg yolks (maybe more depending on your goals) is fine, and beneficial. I posted something about eggs in another post although I think the content was much the same of this one.

[antbrdwar]

Steve, you gotta chill with all the info man. You're scaring me with your knowledge :P. Don't forget, yolks contain a fair amount of Biotin as well

[Steve_W]

lol, sorry bro. I just really think egg yolks have an unnecessary bad rep!

[zackmurphy]

hmmmmm, seems a bit of a waste to be throwing away the yolks

So is dying young.

...but think of all that money you'll be saving not having to pay an MD to do surgery on you just to avoid a heart attack.

Exactly.

[Steve_W]

A couple of egg yolks a day aren't going to make you die young.

[zackmurphy]

lol, sorry bro. I just really think egg yolks have an unnecessary bad rep!

I don't think they have a bad rep, just a realistic one. Pound for pound, the yolks are more "bad" than the whites are "good". So to make things even in pros and cons, you have no choice but to de-yolk a little.

In my morning scramble, I do five whites, and about 1/2 a yolk. The taste is fine, and I get other good fats through the day. It's a balance.

Yolks also have lecithin - also valuable. Lecithin imprves brain functions, increases enegry levels, helps your liver, and aids in the digestion of fats.

[Haywood Jablome]

A couple of egg yolks a day aren't going to make you die young.

^^

[zackmurphy]

A couple of egg yolks a day aren't going to make you die young.

I wish. One large egg (with yolk) contains about 70% of the RDA of cholesterol. Multiply that by 2 for "a couple egg yolks" and you're getting about 1.5 times the daily amount from one source, and you're not even counting what's in other foods.

I don't mean you'll die at age 24, but you'll increase the chances of CVD and CAD, and, statistically speaking, you take some time off your life.

[antbrdwar]

I don't think they have a bad rep, just a realistic one. Pound for pound, the yolks are more "bad" than the whites are "good". So to make things even in pros and cons, you have no choice but to de-yolk a little.

In my morning scramble, I do five whites, and about 1/2 a yolk. The taste is fine, and I get other good fats through the day. It's a balance.

Yolks also have lecithin - also valuable. Lecithin imprves brain functions, increases enegry levels, helps your liver, and aids in the digestion of fats.

No doubt. My morning breakfast is usually 3/4c oats and 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg. Depending on the day I break the yolk with an egg shell and scoop some of the yolk out.. no carb days I usually have the entire yolk, high carb days only half. Just my way of trying to keep it "no carb, high carb" and so on.

[Haywood Jablome]

I wish. One large egg (with yolk) contains about 70% of the RDA of cholesterol. Multiply that by 2 for "a couple egg yolks" and you're getting about 1.5 times the daily amount from one source, and you're not even counting what's in other foods.

I don't mean you'll die at age 24, but you'll increase the chances of CVD and CAD, and, statistically speaking, you take some time off your life.

But there is still very little correlation between dietary cholesterol raising serum cholesterol in HEALTHY adults.

[BackInTheJox]

I wish. One large egg (with yolk) contains about 70% of the RDA of cholesterol. Multiply that by 2 for "a couple egg yolks" and you're getting about 1.5 times the daily amount from one source, and you're not even counting what's in other foods.

I don't mean you'll die at age 24, but you'll increase the chances of CVD and CAD, and, statistically speaking, you take some time off your life.

It's uninformed people like you who propogate these incorrect ideas.

Dietary cholesterol has VERY LITTLE to do with internal, body cholesterol. In fact, it has virtually a negligible effect.

Ingestion of SATURATED FAT is what causes unhealthy levels of cholesterol in your body.

[zackmurphy]

It's uninformed people like you who propogate these incorrect ideas.

Lol.

Yeah, okay. Find me the article, Dr. Science, that expresses the suggestion that healthy adults increase their cholesterol intake beyond the RDA.

[antbrdwar]

It's uninformed people like you who propogate these incorrect ideas.

Dietary cholesterol has VERY LITTLE to do with internal, body cholesterol. In fact, it has virtually a negligible effect.

Ingestion of SATURATED FAT is what causes unhealthy levels of cholesterol in your body.

Cholesterol in general is regulated by the body. If you don't eat enough (dietary) your body makes more to compensate. If you eat too much, your body produces very little. Not to mention that the amount of fiber most people on these boards eat plays a significant role in cholesterol regulation, as fiber binds up bile in the small/large intestine and bile is made of what? You guessed it, cholesterol. So when we have low levels of bile the body takes cholesterol out of circulation to make more bile. Therefore, dietary cholesterol and body cholesterol have a lot to do with each other.

[TerrenceCA]

Steve, good info. I also have the South Beach Diet book, which was written by a cardiologist, and he basically says the same thing you said.

[Haywood Jablome]

Cholesterol in general is regulated by the body. If you don't eat enough (dietary) your body makes more to compensate. If you eat too much, your body produces very little. Not to mention that the amount of fiber most people on these boards eat plays a significant role in cholesterol regulation, as fiber binds up bile in the small/large intestine and bile is made of what? You guessed it, cholesterol. So when we have low levels of bile the body takes cholesterol out of circulation to make more bile. Therefore, dietary cholesterol and body cholesterol have a lot to do with each other.

But if the body takes cholesterol out of circulation, if it needs more it'll produce more.

[zackmurphy]

But if the body takes cholesterol out of circulation, if it needs more it'll produce more.

Without ANY DIETARY CHOLESTEROL, your body produces enough for its personal uses. It doesn't need dietary supplementation.

[Haywood Jablome]

.
Are you finding where I'm so totally wrong, that dietary choesterol intake is a non-issue, where a high intake via multiple egg yolks is something to recommend?

Zack, I dont think that anyone is arguing against you, or others, by means of suggesting that increasing dietary cholesterol is a good thing. However, in people with high cholesterol, there are much bigger factors such as genetics and saturated fat intake that contribute to a raised cholesterol level.

[zackmurphy]

Zack, I dont think that anyone is arguing against you, or others, by means of suggesting that increasing dietary cholesterol is a good thing. However, in people with high cholesterol, there are much bigger factors such as genetics and saturated fat intake that contribute to a raised cholesterol level.

Oh, by far, I agree. And I've read all the same studies that suggest that moderate egg intake in healthy individuals does not seem to increase serum chol. levels to such a degree that chol. avoidance was recommended.

But those studies have each only shown and tested on very minor egg intake: 2/day in most of them. And in a BB'er diet that is already exceedingly protein-rich for most of us, adding 2 eggs is far different than the test groups, whose diets are unquestionably WAY lower in meat protein and sat. fat intake than most BB'ers.

That's my concern.

[massive member]

since he's MIA, check out alans response in this thread

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...highlight=eggs

where has he been?

[zackmurphy]

since he's MIA, check out alans response in this thread

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...highlight=eggs

where has he been?

Alan's got a 9 month old, no doubt pulling him away (rightfully so) from addressing bb.com questions.

Interesting thread - I was here under a different name then - don't remember seeing it. Good info about scrambling. Hadn't heard that.

Not to split hairs (too late?) I think given the daily needs of the various minerals that yolks offer (the B vitamins, phos, Fe, etc.), I think it's a far better idea to get the omega fats and dietary acids, but to simply limit the fat intake for a single meal. at about 5g/egg, one could easily end up with a breakfast at 25g fat. If you're having that meal late, that would be far better (for slow digestion).

I would still endorse a yolk limitation per meal and to spread the fats around a little more liberally thoughout the day. All has to fit under your fat ubrella for the day anyway, but you all get the idea, I'm sure.

Anyway, thanks for the link. Good stuff.

[ll ReNeGaDe ll]

hmmmmm, seems a bit of a waste to be throwing away the yolks

its cheaper than protein shakes. although pre and post workout you should have an actual shake rather than eggs cause shakes are very fast-digesting.

[Steve_W]

I wish. One large egg (with yolk) contains about 70% of the RDA of cholesterol. Multiply that by 2 for "a couple egg yolks" and you're getting about 1.5 times the daily amount from one source, and you're not even counting what's in other foods.

I don't mean you'll die at age 24, but you'll increase the chances of CVD and CAD, and, statistically speaking, you take some time off your life.

If you read my post above, dietary cholestrol has little effect on blood cholestrol. Saturated fat has the greatest influence in raising blood cholestrol. Cholestrol is great for T prouduction.

[Steve_W]

Alan's got a 9 month old, no doubt pulling him away (rightfully so) from addressing bb.com questions.

Interesting thread - I was here under a different name then - don't remember seeing it. Good info about scrambling. Hadn't heard that.

Not to split hairs (too late?) I think given the daily needs of the various minerals that yolks offer (the B vitamins, phos, Fe, etc.), I think it's a far better idea to get the omega fats and dietary acids, but to simply limit the fat intake for a single meal. at about 5g/egg, one could easily end up with a breakfast at 25g fat. If you're having that meal late, that would be far better (for slow digestion).

I would still endorse a yolk limitation per meal and to spread the fats around a little more liberally thoughout the day. All has to fit under your fat ubrella for the day anyway, but you all get the idea, I'm sure.

Anyway, thanks for the link. Good stuff.

Oops. Didn't read down far enough. Yeah, I am a believer that moderating egg yolks is a good idea but there is absolutely no reason to completely disregard them unless you already have high cholestrol levels to begin with.

[PumpItUp4Real]

What about the cholesterol contained in whey protein powder? This must be bad for you too considering my optimum whey has 10 mg/scoop and I have about 3 scoops in my post-workout shake.
I also have one whole egg in the morning and 5 whites scrambled. Not to mention turkey breast deli slices on a sandwich, chicken breasts, fish, and yogurt throughout the day. I easily exceed the 300 mg a day maximum dosage recommended on nutrition labels. Is this bad?

[Steve_W]

No, it's not. Some individuals are more sensitive to the effects of dietary cholesterol than others. So for this I would say that if your family has a history of high cholesterol or heart problems, don’t eat a ridiculous amount of cholestrol each day, but otherwise, feel free to have a couple of egg yolks or other cholestrol containing foods.

[ll ReNeGaDe ll]

okay.... this may sound very stupid to you guys.... but i barely understood a word alan aragon was saying in that thread.... LOL.

anyway.... is 2.5 yolks a day good?


i really only have 2, but when i boil all the rest of my eggs, theres always some hard yolk stuck to the whites that wont come out.... which probably adds up to 0.5 yolk (i have 10-20 egg whites a day). so.... is this okay?


oh yea and as far as fam history goes, all i know is my dad had high cholesterol but thats only cause hes... 55 years old and ate lots of fried foods.