Proponents of the cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease castigate consumption of eggs based on their high content of cholesterol. This position is based on the erroneous and absurd belief that dietary cholesterol is able to cause an increase in plasma cholesterol which in turn causes the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. However, the scientific literature shows quite clearly that eggs do not cause plasma cholesterol levels to rise, and this data alone is enough to render the cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease null and void. Just how eggs became so vilified is not clear because a number of studies show them to be beneficial to the health on account of their rich content of micronutrients, particularly B vitamins, and protein. In fact the protein content may increase the likelihood of fat loss, which has been shown to have numerous health benefits.
The effects of incorporating eggs into the diet has been extensively studies by researchers. For example, one study1 investigated the effects of eggs on the body weight of overweight and obese individuals on a low energy diet. Subjects consumed 2 eggs for breakfast or an equivalent number of calories from bagels, for at least 5 days per week. The researchers also provided a dietician who gave advice to the subjects in order to achieve a 1000 kcal per day energy intake. After 8 weeks, those subjects consuming the egg diet had a 61 % greater reduction in body mass index, a 16 % greater decrease in body fat, 65 % greater weight loss, as well as a 34 % greater reduction in waist circumference, when compared to those on the bagel diet. Therefore these results support other data that suggests that higher protein diets can cause weight loss in overweight subjects.
Protein is thought to cause weight loss because it increases satiety following consumption. In fact eggs have been reported to have a 50 % greater satiety index when compared to white bread or breakfast cereal. Protein may be effective at causing satiety because it delays stomach emptying rates and thus decreases the absorption rate of carbohydrates, decreasing the area under the curve for insulin and glucose. This may have a general effect of improving the glycaemic response from food, and may be particularly beneficial to those with poor insulin sensitivity. High protein foods such as eggs may also cause weight loss because they often replace refined carbohydrates in the diet and thus decrease the intake of potentially insulinogenic micronutrients. Interestingly, the group consuming eggs had no significant change to their plasma lipoprotein concentrations when compared to the bagel group, further dispelling the myth that egg consumption raises plasma cholesterol levels.
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