Eggs better for heart health than breakfast meats, study says

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Sunny-side up. Boiled. Scrambled.

Any way you cook it, eggs are not the cholesterol monster they’ve been made out to be.

According to new research from the University of South Australia, eating eggs as part of a diet that is low in saturated fats can be good for your heart.

Researchers studied the effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the type of fat that sticks to arterial walls and can lead to heart disease and strokes.

The study found that eating two eggs a day can reduce LDL cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease.

“Eggs have long been unfairly cracked by outdated dietary advice,” University of South Australia professor Jon Buckley told Science Daily.

“They’re unique — high in cholesterol, yes, but low in saturated fat. Yet, it’s their cholesterol level that has often caused people to question their place in a healthy diet.”

Buckley said the study separated the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat. When the eggs were eaten as part of a low saturated fat diet, levels of bad cholesterol didn’t increase.

“Instead, it was the saturated fat that was the real driver of cholesterol elevation,” Buckley said. “You could say we’ve delivered hard-boiled evidence in defence of the humble egg.”

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According to the Egg Farmers of Canada, two large eggs contain 13 grams of protein, nine essential amino acids, and many nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, choline, iron and folate.

Buckley said meats with saturated fats are the real culprits at the breakfast table.

“So, when it comes to a cooked breakfast, it’s not the eggs you need to worry about — it’s the extra serving of bacon or the side of sausage that’s more likely to impact your heart health.”