Much has been said about egg yolks and their unhealthy properties, but are these claims actually true?
According to Dr. Kuljit Singh, who runs the Damansara Heights Wellness Clinique, egg yolks are a good source of nutrients that boost good cholesterol and help your overall health. How does this work?
Singh states that the yolk is the healthiest part of the egg, filled not with fat and bad cholesterol but rather vitamins B6, folate, B-12, A, D, E and K. Also present are lutein, choline and other minerals, including potassium, selenium, calcium, magnesium, iron and others. According to Singh, 90 percent of the calcium in an egg and 93 percent of its iron lies in the yolk.
Many associate egg yolks with cholesterol and avoid them accordingly. However, not all cholesterol is bad, and in fact good cholesterol is important for maintaining brain function, repairing cells and the manufacturing of Vitamin D.
Singh states that other benefits include improved eye health, prevention of blood clots and anti-inflammatory properties. Specifically, eye health is promoted through cholesterol and choline. Lutein and zeaxanthin can help with the prevention of cataracts or macular degeneration. The protein found in egg yolks helps prolong blood clot development. The choline within egg yolks can offer some pain relief from arthritis or endometriosis.
On the other side of the coin, some feel that egg yolks are one of the worst foods you can consume. In fact, a study published in the journal Atherosclerosis in 2012 claims that egg yolks are almost as bad for your heart as smoking cigarettes. It states that the cholesterol found in egg yolks causes plaque buildup, which leads to blood-vessel-clogging, just the way smoking does. The study found that those who eat egg yolks have about 2/3 as much plaque buildup as smokers.
However, in a "Huffington Post" article, Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. claims that the study is flawed and misleading, and also contradicts previous research on the matter. Bowden states that because the study is an observational one, it lacks the credibility of a clinical study. Furthermore, he claims that the study lacked considerable data given the fact that only two variables were examined, smoking and egg yolk consumption.
In April 1999, a study was published by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health that examined the relationship between egg consumption and cholesterol levels. The results indicated no evidence of a correlation between significant risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and egg consumption in either men or women.
What about you? Do you indulge in eggs or choose to avoid them?
