Does eating eggs raise cholesterol?
Eggs, especially the yolks, contain a lot of lipids. So, does eating eggs raise cholesterol? Should we still eat eggs? Don't overthink it. Let's look at the facts and make a decision that's right for your body.
Eggs contain almost all the nutrients the human body needs, earning them the title of "ideal nutrient reservoir" and nutritionists call them a "complete protein model." One of the secrets to longevity for many elderly people is eating an egg every day.
But many people misunderstand eggs, believing the yolks contain too much cholesterol and are afraid to eat too many. Some are more extreme, eating only the egg whites and never the yolks. What effect does this have on the body?
Experts at home and abroad have repeatedly conducted an experiment where a group of people over 60 ate two eggs a day. After a period of time, their blood lipid levels did not increase. In fact, some overweight people even had a smaller waistline.
Simply analyzing the food components, one egg yolk contains an amount of cholesterol equivalent to what the human body needs in a day. People cannot live without cholesterol, so the body works hard to maintain stable cholesterol levels. How does it do this? By regulating the amount it synthesizes itself and the amount absorbed from food through the intestines. If you consume less cholesterol, your body will absorb it as much as possible and produce more itself. If you consume more cholesterol, your body will absorb less and produce less.
For example, egg yolks are high in cholesterol. If your body doesn't need that much, it will instruct the intestines to absorb less, and the excess will be broken down and excreted. However, if you are constipated, these substances stay in the intestines for a long time and get reabsorbed. But since they have already been broken down and have no nutritional value, they just become waste that accumulates.
Therefore, if you are healthy, your body will help maintain an optimal level of cholesterol, regardless of whether the food you eat is high or low in cholesterol. Conversely, if your metabolic function is impaired, you may develop high blood lipid disease, regardless of whether your diet is high or low in cholesterol.
Lecithin was first discovered in egg yolks, so it is also called vitellin. It is particularly abundant in egg yolks. Lecithin can lower blood lipids, clear cholesterol deposits from artery walls, and protect the liver. Egg yolks contain cholesterol, but they also contain lecithin. Lecithin can turn cholesterol into very fine particles that are 100% absorbed and utilized by the body, so they won't accumulate in the blood vessels. Moreover, lecithin is also good for liver protection. Ancient Chinese medicine practitioners long ago discovered that eggs could help regulate liver problems, and this is partly due to lecithin. The body's fats are metabolized by the liver. If the liver is healthy, blood lipids will not be excessive.
Of course, everyone's body is different. Some people can eat a lot of eggs without any problems, but if your body lacks the enzymes to break down protein and fat, you shouldn't eat eggs in excess. This is not because of the cholesterol, but because you cannot break down the large amounts of protein and fat. How many is appropriate? For the average person, one egg a day is enough to maintain nutritional balance.