Diet & Food

Cholesterol-Armed! Danger due to an Egg a day? Why the panic study, the United States does not apply to us

A high cholesterol level in the blood harm the blood vessels and can cause dangerous diseases. Many banish eggs, which contain a lot of cholesterol, therefore, from your dining plan. To say wrong, today, many experts. But a new study from the United States stirs up old concerns.

Eggs were long considered bad for the health. Because they contain cholesterol, depending on the size about 200 milligrams. And a constant high level of cholesterol in the blood is risky. Cholesterol can build up in the blood vessels and harden. Possible consequences of cardiovascular disease or a stroke.

However, in recent years, more and more nutrition experts gave the all-clear: The level of cholesterol depends only to a small part of the diet. A much greater role the genes play.

Genetically a human being, more or less, so-called LDL can have due to the receptors in his liver that regulate cholesterol levels in the blood, explains Ulrich Laufs, Senior physician at the clinic for Internal medicine III, cardiology, angiology and internal intensive medicine at the University hospital of the Saarland. Thus, the cholesterol can be to control only a small part of the food.

Study: eggs Are bad for the health?

But a new study from the United States raises the old concerns: researchers had taken six large studies with a total of nearly 30,000 participants under the magnifying glass. On average, involved in the study Teams had accompanied the volunteers over 17 years. Thus, before learning a very large amount of data was the science.

The result of your evaluation: The more cholesterol had taken the volunteers through the food, the higher your risk for cardiovascular disease and premature death. The researchers had calculated, Per 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day, the risk of disease increased by 17 per cent – and the risk of early death by 18 percent.

The researchers calculated also specifically on the impact of egg consumption on the body. The same effect showed that The more eggs a subject ate, the higher their cardiovascular risk. Per half-Egg, this increased to six percent.

Results can not be transferred to Germany

Does this mean that we should prefer to let the fingers of eggs? May not. Helmut Gohlke warns generally before, to transfer the results of American studies in Germany. He is a Board member of the German heart Foundation and saw already a similar analysis to the year 2017 is critical. Back then, researchers had studied 25 diet studies, many of them with American volunteers.

Also they warned in a row in front of a high cholesterol level by the consumption of eggs – and the associated health risk.

Accompanying food: What lands on the plate?

Gohlkes skepticism is based primarily on such analyses, filters rarely individual components from the diet and certain health risks alone can lead back to you – in the case of eggs. The increased stroke risk of volunteers was in fact only on the Egg consumption or to other food products, which he took also?

It is important, Gohlke, to always consider the “accompanying diet”. During a Breakfast in the U.S. often consists of Egg with bacon, enjoy German rather have a hard-boiled Egg with vegetables. That’s the big difference: Americans on the Bacon side dish in addition to unhealthy, saturated fatty acids. Who, instead, a Mediterranean diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and unsaturated fatty acids (from olive oil) eighth, should the level of cholesterol less to Worry about.

Studies have shown that 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per day can reduce the risk for a vascular disease, in turn. “The Mediterranean diet has in each cholesterol levels a beneficial effect,” says Gohlke. To consider, instead of individual food components, consumers should pay attention rather to an overall healthy, balanced diet.

Another shortcoming of nutritional studies, researchers often do not need to be documented on the personal information of the participants trust that their eating habits may be down to the smallest Detail. Especially over a longer period of time, errors may creep in.

Other studies show health Benefits of eggs

By the way, there are also in-depth studies that show the health Benefits of eggs. Finally, not only cholesterol, but also valuable proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals stuck in them.

Other U.S. researchers had analyzed seven studies on Egg consumption came to the conclusion that eggs neither increase the risk for coronary heart disease and for stroke. The scientists even found evidence that an Egg per day could reduce the risk of stroke. Your investigation appeared to 2016.

Three years previously the Chinese nutrition scientists came to the same result: Even those who every day eat eggs, does not increase the risk for heart disease.