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Re: Eggs!
The idea that eggs raise blood cholesterol goes hand in hand with "margarine is healthier than butter" and "eating fat will make you fat". However, none of them is true.
Cholesterol is essential for the functioning of the brain, for a strong immune system, for the production of hormones, for the formation of an insulating "layer" around the nerves, etc. Because it is so important, the liver produces 75-80% of the cholesterol found in blood. The more cholesterol one eats, the less the body will make. The opposite is, of course, also true.
Cholesterol is composed of small fat molecules that flow through the blood stream. As they flow, these molecules will collide at a certain rate, depending on their number density and size. A healthy body is capable of breaking down these fat molecules and the larger components resulting from collisions. When this fails to happen... well, then you get into trouble. However, there is a substance that can help your body do the job it's supposed to do, and this is lecithin. Because of its chemical composition, lecithin "dissolves" cholesterol, keeping your "pipes" clog-free. So where can you get this lecithin from? Well, it's in the egg yolks.
Why the egg scare then. This was due to a study in which subjects were given dry egg powder, which did indeed increase the levels of blood cholesterol. However, the cholesterol in dry eggs is oxidized, as opposed to the cholesterol in "normal" eggs. Although, as a word of caution, the cholesterol in eggs is altered by overcooking (you have to try pretty hard though) and by air exposure of the raw yolk.
On a more general note, the Fremingham experiment -- conducted over a period of 30 years and involving about 4500 subjects -- has shown an inverse correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Moreover, it has also shown an inverse correlation between dietary cholesterol and weight gain. Funny enough, the purpose of the study was to prove the opposite -- the common belief that a high cholesterol intake is responsible for high levels of blood cholesterol.
Originally posted by cindy8434
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Cholesterol is essential for the functioning of the brain, for a strong immune system, for the production of hormones, for the formation of an insulating "layer" around the nerves, etc. Because it is so important, the liver produces 75-80% of the cholesterol found in blood. The more cholesterol one eats, the less the body will make. The opposite is, of course, also true.
Cholesterol is composed of small fat molecules that flow through the blood stream. As they flow, these molecules will collide at a certain rate, depending on their number density and size. A healthy body is capable of breaking down these fat molecules and the larger components resulting from collisions. When this fails to happen... well, then you get into trouble. However, there is a substance that can help your body do the job it's supposed to do, and this is lecithin. Because of its chemical composition, lecithin "dissolves" cholesterol, keeping your "pipes" clog-free. So where can you get this lecithin from? Well, it's in the egg yolks.
Why the egg scare then. This was due to a study in which subjects were given dry egg powder, which did indeed increase the levels of blood cholesterol. However, the cholesterol in dry eggs is oxidized, as opposed to the cholesterol in "normal" eggs. Although, as a word of caution, the cholesterol in eggs is altered by overcooking (you have to try pretty hard though) and by air exposure of the raw yolk.
On a more general note, the Fremingham experiment -- conducted over a period of 30 years and involving about 4500 subjects -- has shown an inverse correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Moreover, it has also shown an inverse correlation between dietary cholesterol and weight gain. Funny enough, the purpose of the study was to prove the opposite -- the common belief that a high cholesterol intake is responsible for high levels of blood cholesterol.
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