Eggs & Your HEART

As a preventive cardiologist, one of the questions I’m often asked is whether eggs are bad for the heart. My answer is almost always, “No,” although I suggest that you speak with your own doctor if you have concerns.For years eggs have gotten a bad rap for their cholesterol content (210 mg in a yolk), but recent studies on their effects on dietary cholesterol have shed new light on the issue. Studies now show that dietary cholesterol, found in eggs and other animal foods, raises blood cholesterol in only about one-third of people. More significantly, eggs do not appear to contribute to heart disease or stroke in healthy people, even when eaten as often as five times a week (although one recent study did find that consuming more than one egg per day was associated with an increase in some people's risk for type 2 diabetes of up to 77 percent; it is not clear exactly why and the study did not examine the relation between egg whites and diabetes risk).

Now research reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that proteins in boiled and fried eggs may reduce blood pressure and potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The findings, which were achieved using a model system of the stomach and small intestine to simulate conditions in the human gut, showed that proteins in fried and boiled eggs can be converted by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine to produce peptides with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. (ACE inhibitors help improve blood flow and blood pressure by preventing the the formation of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes arteries to constrict.) The researchers noted that the effect of the fat and oil content of the fried eggs was not considered. They also quite rightly remark that these in vitro results now need to be replicated in humans.

So while this exciting research is ongoing, I encourage you to enjoy your eggs, especially if it means that you won’t skip breakfast and wolf down a fatty doughnut mid-morning instead. And if you do fry your eggs, be sure to do so in a little heart-healthy olive oil or canola oil, not butter.