Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Eggs Are Good for You in Moderation

From YOU Docs Daily:

There's a reason we YOU Docs think the only thing that shouldn't be done in moderation is walking: Extremes virtually always backfire — crash diets, quickie marriages, vitamin megadoses, Paris Hilton's up-to-there hemlines. But Americans have trouble doing things in moderation.

Take eggs. For decades they were the all-American breakfast staple — who knew about cholesterol? Then the US went cholesterol-crazy, eggs were seen as heart-attacks-in-a-shell, and consumption tanked. Then eggs wound up back on the menu when it turned out that even one a day didn't increase strokes or heart disease. Consumption picked up.

Then eating an egg a day was linked with a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Men and women who had 7 eggs a week appeared to be 60% to 70% more likely to get the disease.

And now? A follow-up study to test the diabetes link — led by the same researcher — found no links between eggs and type 2 diabetes. None.

We're driving home two points here. The first is one you've heard us hammer on before: One study is never enough, no matter how sensational the headlines. Second: Having a few eggs a week (not none, not tons) is a great way to get a high-quality protein fix. If you need to watch your cholesterol, use three egg whites for every yolk in omelets or egg salad. The yolk is where all the cholesterol is, and half the protein's in the white.

No comments:

Post a Comment