Private MD News

Eggs may actually improve cholesterol test scores

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results have likely been warned to avoid eating eggs. The food is very high in cholesterol, which may compound any heart health problems. However, new research suggests that eggs may actually be good for people with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized in part by high cholesterol.

In the study, a team of researchers from the University of Connecticut asked a group of participants with metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of conditions that include unhealthy cholesterol, high blood pressure, unregulated glucose levels and abdominal obesity, to eat a low-carb, protein-rich diet for 12 weeks. Many participants ate numerous eggs during this period.

The results showed that these individuals were able to boost their levels of HDL cholesterol, which is known as "good" cholesterol. This form sweeps the arteries of buildups of other types of fat and carries them to liver for processing.

So while eggs may be responsible for an elevation in total cholesterol, it is only because they boost levels of good cholesterol. This may suggest that individuals do not need to cross eggs off their diet entirely just because they have received an unhealthy cholesterol test.