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Eggs Might Not Be So Bad After All
Nov. 1, 2001 -- Eggs are good for you ... eggs are bad for you. The back and forth on eggs isn't likely over yet, but the latest study might explain why cholesterol-packed eggs aren't so bad for you after all.
Nutrition researchers at Kansas State University have shown for the first time that an ingredient in eggs actually keeps the artery-clogging cholesterol from getting into your body.
Eggs do, in fact, contain a lot of cholesterol. Therefore, many experts thought that the little oval foods were bad for your health. But some recent reports have shown that nutrient-rich eggs might not really be so bad for us. And the findings of this new study might give us the reason.
Studying rats, the researchers found that something called phosphatidylcholine, or PC, in eggs actually stops the cholesterol in eggs from entering your bloodstream. In fact, they have even applied for a patent for this ingredient.
The study is published in the September issue of Journal of Nutrition.
PC doesn't stop 100% of the cholesterol from getting into your blood, but it does seem to block a significant amount. This could be very good news for egg lovers, especially since eggs are packed with other healthy goodies -- protein, vitamins A and E, and vitamins B-6, B-12, and folate.
Senior researcher Sung I. Koo says that people with normal cholesterol levels and no family history of heart disease or stroke should not worry about eating one or two eggs a day. There's more overall nutritional benefit than harm to be gained from eggs if eaten in moderation.
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