King Grub
2018-06-18, 11:34
The recent paper by Richard et al seems to continue the efforts of the egg industry to obfuscate the issues about the risks of egg consumption (note the funding by the egg industry in the Acknowledgments). What matters is not the level of risk factors, but the actual risk of events. As recently reviewed, the influence of the food industry on perception of risks is pernicious and pervasive. There is no doubt that dietary cholesterol and eggs increase the risk of cardiovascular events, even though they do not increase levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by much. It is the postprandial effects that matter, not the fasting lipids. For 4 hours after a high-fat/high-cholesterol meal, there is endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation and oxidative stress. Besides the huge cholesterol content of egg yolks (237 mg in a jumbo egg), egg yolks contain ~ 250 mg of phosphatidylcholine, converted by the intestinal bacteria to trimethylamine, in turn oxidized in the liver to trimethylamine n-oxide. In animal models, trimethylamine n-oxide causes atherosclerosis. Among patients referred for coronary angiograms and given 2 hard-boiled eggs as a test dose, levels of trimethylamine n-oxide in the top quartile were associated with a 2.5-fold increase in the 3-year risk of stroke, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular mortality. In the United States, only 0.1% of persons consume a healthy diet. It is, therefore, difficult to show that anything makes the United States diet worse; the 2 United States population-based studies only revealed an increased risk among persons who became diabetic during observation, and an egg a day “only” doubled coronary risk. In Greece, however, where the norm is the Mediterranean diet, it is easier to show the harm from egg consumption. Among Greek patients with diabetes, an egg a day increased coronary risk 5-fold, and only 10 grams of egg per day (a sixth of a large egg) increased coronary risk by 50%. Egg consumption also increases the risk of diabetes. Persons at risk for cardiovascular events, including patients with diabetes, should avoid consumption of egg yolks. This is particularly true for those with renal failure.
Can J Diabetes. 2018 Jun;42(3):222. Egg Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk.
Can J Diabetes. 2018 Jun;42(3):222. Egg Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk.