MISLEADING INFO ON EGGS AND CHOLESTEROL
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that eggs are responsible for high cholesterol. For the longest time, I have limited my egg consumption. If you asked me a year ago if I had a fear food, it would have been eggs. This changed when I learned that genetics play a bigger part in high cholesterol than the ingestion of eggs.
For a study, 49 adults, who had an average age of 56 years old, were assigned to eat oats or two eggs daily for six weeks in a non-chronological order, four weeks apart (Yale Prevention Research Center, 2005). Researchers tested the function of their brachial artery using a high-frequency ultrasound before starting and after ending the assigned diets (Yale Prevention Research Center, 2005).
The dilation in the brachial artery was even in the group who ate eggs and the one who ate oats (Yale Prevention Research Center, 2005). While consuming oats daily brought down the numbers of total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol), eating two eggs a day for six weeks did not affect neither the total cholesterol nor the LDL, nor did it affect the BMI; HDL; triglyceride or systolic blood pressure (Yale Prevention Research Center, 2005). As eggs had no impact in the total cholesterol or LDL, consuming them does not alter the delicate layer of cells that lie among the blood in circulation and the vessel wall (Yale Prevention Research Center, 2005).
Egg intake for people who have the habit of exercising frequently can be greater than that of people who have a more sedentary lifestyle (Tremblay, 2012). Eggs strengthen the body in order for it to be able to exercise at its hardest (Tremblay, 2012). It also adds a lot of benefits to your training regime and keep you healthy (Tremblay, 2012).
Muscle tissue restoration is among the advantages of the protein found in eggs (Tremblay, 2012). By increasing the egg intake, the levels of protein boost, thus the restoration process speeds up (Tremblay, 2012). Eggs also have minerals that include potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron (Tremblay, 2012). These contribute to the right muscle performance and flow of blood in heart (Tremblay, 2012). Additionally, eggs also contain vitamins such as folate, vitamin B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-12 (Tremblay, 2012). These vitamins are crucial for making red blood cells carry oxygen efficiently and for sustaining muscles at the time you put them to use (Tremblay, 2012). With them, you can access the energy you need for working out (Tremblay, 2012).
You shouldn’t eat eggs right before beginning your training (Tremblay, 2012). Its protein needs an extended amount of time to get digested (Tremblay, 2012). For this reason, eggs should be consumed a few hours before starting the workout or after you finish (Tremblay, 2012).
As you can see, folks, eggs have a high nutrient density. So unless you are vegan, eat on!
References
Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque
By J. David Spence, David J. A. Jenkins, and Jean Davignon, “Egg yolk consumption and cartoid plaque”, Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre, 2012
Egg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial
By Kats DL, Evans MA, Nawaz H, Njike VY, Chan W, Comerford BP, and Hoxley ML, “Yale Prevention Reasearch Center, March 2005
Are Eggs Ok If You Exercise?
By Louise Tremblay, “Are Eggs Ok If You Exercise?”, Livestrong, February 2012