Eggs and cholesterol: can we eat eggs in case of hypercholesterolemia?

The egg has long been demonized for its dietary cholesterol content. Opinions have since changed. Can we eat eggs in case of hypercholesterolemia? What are the consequences for our cholesterol? What are the recommendations? The answers of Dr. Boris Hansel, nutritionist endocrinologist.

The egg is a food particularly rich in dietary cholesterol . This cholesterol is also concentrated in the egg yolk. Eggs, such as organ meats, deli meats, fatty meats, butter or non-skimmed dairy products are sources of dietary cholesterol. Products that are often rich in saturated fats with the exception… of eggs! “ Eggs are a food that is particularly high in cholesterol and relatively low in saturated fat ,” says Dr. Boris Hansel, endocrinologist nutritionist.

What is dietary cholesterol?

Dietary cholesterol would finally influence relatively little on our cholesterol level and thus on the development of cardiovascular diseases . The number one enemy of our cholesterol levels and therefore of our arteries is not this famous "food cholesterol" but the bad fats, those called "saturated" which are mainly found in meat products, cheese , butter but also in certain products of plant origin such as palm , palm kernel and copra oil.

" Reducing saturated fats and replacing them with unsaturated fats contained in fatty products of plant origin (most oils, oleaginous fruits, avocado, etc.) will have a significant effect on our cholesterol levels with a drop in about 5 to 10% of the bad cholesterol  on the blood test. As for reducing your dietary cholesterol in a second step… This will have a little effect on our bad cholesterol level, but it remains variable from one person to another , "explains Dr Boris Hansel.

Choosing the right fats to take care of your cholesterol remains the priority! And this, even before hunting for this dietary cholesterol contained in particular in eggs…

Cholesterol and eggs: what are the recommendations?

Should we eliminate eggs from our diet in case of hypercholesterolemia? A subject that has long been debated and on which specialists have agreed: limit them, yes; remove them completely, no.

" Eggs have an obvious nutritional interest. It would probably be a mistake to completely deprive yourself of them... Admittedly, there is this limit of dietary cholesterol... But you don't have to have a phobia about eggs and forbid yourself to "eat even when you have excess cholesterol! It is possible to eat up to three or four eggs a week, whether or not you have excess cholesterol ," recommends Dr. Boris Hansel.

The nutritional benefits of eggs

Eggs are low in calories (80 kcal for a whole egg). They are rich in proteins (therefore in essential amino acids) in many vitamins and minerals ( magnesium , phosphorus , potassium , etc.).

However, it is essential to choose them well to benefit from all these nutritional qualities. “ Free-range, caged, free-range, organic eggs, enriched or not with Omega-3 … There is ultimately no major difference in terms of their dietary cholesterol content, ” explains Dr. Hansel. On the other hand, the difference is great for the nutritional interest: choose chicken eggs raised in the open air, preferably organic and why not enriched with Omega 3. These additional fatty acids come from flax seeds added to poultry feed .