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EGGS-ellent discussion. This is no yolk. You can’t beat eggs. Scrambling for the truth. (Someone please stop me)

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August 4, 2009
	Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego

Deception, misconception, corruption and bam-boozled are words that come to mind when I hear the word EGG. Fascinating reading and an amazing tale of power and greed as you explore the story behind our nations assassination of the good character of eggs. But when eggs are viewed in the light of science the tale is very boring and simple. Eggs are good food, offer excellent protein, have good effects on your lipid profile and do NOT promote heart disease. There is a mountain of papers and hundreds of studies proving this and they come from prestigious schools and facilities like Harvard and the University of Michigan. So why all the scuttle that eggs are high in cholesterol and cause heart attacks and lead to venereal warts? (I may have fabricated the venereal warts thing). Well let’s explore.

Ancel Keys is responsible, or should I say “irresponsible” for the whole Fat-Cholesterol Hypothesis. Back in 1961, Ancel Keys appeared on the cover of Time magazine championing his “hypothesis” (may I remind you that a hypothesis is an UNPROVEN idea) that a high cholesterol level in the blood comes from eating fatty foods and leads to heart disease. There were more than a few holes in that theory and NONE of his theory was supported by facts or clear clinical study. But at the time, we as a nation had just witnessed our beloved president Dwight Eisenhower have a heart attack while in the White House. Physicians, scientists and researchers were under an intense spotlight and there was immense pressure to provide an answer as the American people were hearing words like atherosclerosis and coronary disease for the first time and wanted guidance on what it was, how it occurred, and how to avoid a fate similar to Ike’s.

Enter Ancel Keys, PhD, who with a brash and over bearing personality, descended upon the confused and befuddled health care world and imposed his will. In times of confusion it is not uncommon that we follow the loudest, most confident voice even if that voice is only out to feed his own ego. Thus was the case with Keys. Without any solid evidence to prove his theory he beat his message into the American consciousness and within two weeks even the American Heart Association, as it had no other answer at the time, gave Keys their support which only served to promote this theory from one mans “idea” to the status of “fact”. There were many scientific bodies who opposed this theory as there was evidence in the medical literature that contradicted Key’s theory, but at best the issue was murky and without clear science. Kind of like Santa Clause, but try arguing with a 5 year old about the existence of Santa and see how far you get. I realize that the concept of a high cholesterol diet leading to heart attacks is so deeply ingrained in all of us that it will be difficult to pry it from your brain but let me offer a few startling facts for your rational consideration. After President Dwight Eisenhower’s heart attack he was placed on a low fat diet and eggs were removed almost entirely. Despite being very health conscious and following all of his doctor’s recommendations for a fat free diet he gained weight and watched his cholesterol rise from 165 to 259 over the next few years. Mind you, this occurred while he ate an essentially fat free diet. He proceeded to have another 6 heart attacks before his death. Do you still think fat and eggs cause heart attacks? We were encouraged as a nation to throw out our butter in favor of newer polyunsaturated margarines, but as our national butter consumption fell through the 70’s and 80’s, heart disease continued to rise. Between 1970, when egg restriction was proposed, to 1995, egg consumption fell by 24% yet heart disease continued to rise in record numbers. Through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, we as consumers found fat free ice cream, fat free chips, fat free yogurt, fat free replacements for all of our favorite foods yet heart disease, say it with me now, continued to rise. So I ask you one more time, do you still cling to the notion that fat consumption and cholesterol foods lead to heart disease? Your reflex is to say yes but the facts do not support you and they never did.

Lets take a look at fats in our body and understand how they work. We make about one gram of cholesterol every day in our liver because our bodies use it to make our hormones, our brain neuro transmitters (communication and nerve conduction) and they are a necessary part of the membrane that surrounds and protects every cell in our body. When we eat more cholesterol as in the form of eggs, our bodies are intelligent enough to adjust our natural production as well as adjust our excretion of it. Our bowels even modulate how much we are allowed to absorb. The issue with heart disease is not that cholesterol is present; it’s supposed to be present. The issue is “are you oxidizing it.” Are you making plaque in your arteries with it? Well let’s explore those concepts.

You may be familiar with “LDL” or low density lipoprotein. This is often called your bad cholesterol. You have seven different sizes of LDL. The largest and most buoyant type is not the type that causes plaque in your arteries. It is the small, dense LDL that does this and that’s the stuff to avoid. Well guess what? It has been shown in studies that eating eggs helps to shift your LDL towards the large, more buoyant LDL and results in less of the small dense harmful LDL. HDL or high density lipoprotein is good for you and works to remove the small dense LDL from your body. HDL is increased by exercise and this is why you should always be an exerciser. Eggs also help you to make more HDL. Egg ingestion increases HDL production. For those of you scoring at home that’s Egg’s 2 points, and heart disease “0.” How about triglycerides you ask? Well let’s look at the scientific research (not theory). It appears in multiple studies that eating even as many as 4 eggs per day, every day, led to reduction in triglycerides. Still need more proof? The prestigious Harvard School of Public Health reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1999 that “…we found no evidence of an overall significant association between egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (heart attack) or stroke in either men or women.”

Riddle me this Batman, how is it possible that this is true? Maybe the cause of heart disease is not about fat and cholesterol, or at least not entirely. When a house goes up in smoke from a fire do we blame those darn lumber mills for making the 2x4’s in the walls out of a flammable material? No. That would me simple minded and silly. What we look for is the source of the spark that started the fire; bad wiring, a careless smoker, a kitchen fire. Something took an otherwise stable situation and inflamed it. You mean something like insulin which is one of the most inflammatory substances in the body? Ah yes Grasshopper, you are wise beyond your years. Why is it that 80% of all diabetics die from heart attacks? The insulin factor. We will explore in another article but for now just appreciate that omelets are back on the menu.

A Michigan State study in 2000 showed that blood cholesterol levels were lower in people who ate more than 4 eggs per week compared to people who ate no eggs at all. If you are not eating eggs then what are you likely replacing those calories with? CARBS! Yes, carbohydrates typically in the form of toast and cereal often appear in the diets of those avoiding eggs. Carbs will raise insulin. There’s that insulin concept again. And we know that insulin dysfunction leads to diabetes and that leads to heart attacks. Yes there are other factors involved but more on that later.

In a 2007 study at Louisiana State University they showed that eating eggs for breakfast increased that feeling of fullness (satiety) thereby reducing the desire to snack mid morning. These folks experienced weight loss as a result of feeling less hungry all day long. But why would I discuss that? I’m sure no one is interested in simple, healthy, nutritious ways to lose weight.

So in conclusion, this tip of the iceberg, discussion on eggs shows that the science and the clinical outcomes support eggs as a good source of protein and healthy part of anyone’s diet. Eggs reduce triglycerides, improve lipid panels, improve valuable HDL, and have a beneficial effect on LDL particle size. Eggs assist us in feelings of satiety and reduce snacking. There is no scientific link between heart disease and stroke and egg consumption and in fact will likely reduce your risk by reducing your insulin. So crack a smile and accept that you were fooled by the whole egg/cholesterol thing. It’s OK, so was I. Now go crack an egg and start eating healthy.

I would love to know how many of you avoid eggs for the very reason I discussed above. Does anyone know about the first egg studies done on rabbits? If you remain unconvinced or at least a bit nervous about eating the forbidden chicken fruit feel free to post a question. I would love to hear from you.