No link between eggs and high cholesterol, scientists say

Published on Tuesday 10 February 2009 12:19

SCIENTISTS hope to end the "ingrained misconception" linking eggs with high blood cholesterol and heart disease after new research was published today.

Nearly half (45%) of the UK public believe they should eat a maximum of three eggs a week, but a study has concluded that cholesterol in eggs has only a small and clinically insignificant effect on blood cholesterol.

The British Heart Foundation responded to the report by dispensing with its recommendation of limiting eggs to three or four a week, and the Food Standards Agency advises that most people do not need to restrict their egg intake if they eat a balanced diet.

The research paper was written by Dr Juliet Gray, Registered Public Health Nutritionist, and Professor Bruce Griffin, Professor of Nutritional Metabolism from the University of Surrey.

They found that, while elevated blood cholesterol levels do increase the risk of heart disease, only a third of cholesterol in the body comes from the diet. Other factors such as smoking, being overweight and a lack of physical activity can influence blood fat and cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

The paper emphasises that it is saturated fat, not the cholesterol found in foods like eggs, which is the main dietary culprit in raising blood cholesterol levels.

Prof Griffin said: "The ingrained misconception linking egg consumption to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected.

"The amount of saturated fat in our diet exerts an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of dietary cholesterol.

"The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat. They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods."

GMTV's Dr Hilary Jones said: "There is so much confusion surrounding dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Many people think that simply cutting out dietary cholesterol by avoiding foods like eggs is an easy way to reduce heart disease risk.

"But this ignores the most important dietary factor – cutting down on saturated fat is much more critical."