I seem to be hearing a lot about dietary cholesterol lately, specifically with eggs and people saying not to eat the yolks due to high cholesterol. While this may have been the thinking in the past, research has shown us that this is not what we originally thought and that dietary cholesterol does not correlate to blood cholesterol for the majority of people.
Dietary Cholesterol vs. Blood Cholesterol
Recent research has shown that there is a relatively small to no correlation between dietary cholesterol intake and blood cholesterol. This is why some people may limit their dietary intake of cholesterol and still have high blood cholesterol. Your liver makes upwards of 90% of your cholesterol. Eating a few eggs with yolks is not going to have a large effect on this total number.
Familial Factors
It is true that some people are “responders” to dietary cholesterol. Meaning that some people may eat cholesterol and their body responds negatively by increasing their blood cholesterol. However, this is a small fraction of people and is not the norm.
Decreasing Blood Cholesterol
Did you know that consuming whole eggs may actually end up lowering your LDL(bad) cholesterol and raising your HDL(good) cholesterol? The key is eating healthy, staying active, and staying lean. This is what will help lower your blood cholesterol, not decreasing the overall dietary intake.
What Should You Do?
Eat the yolk! The yolk has the majority of the healthiest properties in an egg. It’s full of healthy fat soluble vitamins A,D, E, and K, is packed with protein, and helps with testosterone production. If you’re trying to keep your cholesterol down then focus more on exercising, staying away from processed foods and refined carbs, and eating healthy lean food.
If you want more information on healthy options and how food can be the source that fuels you, visit www.thepaleofix.com for more information.