Contents:
- Medical Video: Are Egg Yolks Bad For You? - What You've Heard Might Not Be True
- The benefits of the egg yolk for the heart
- How many egg yolks are still healthy for consumption?
Medical Video: Are Egg Yolks Bad For You? - What You've Heard Might Not Be True
During this time many people assume that egg yolks are very bad for the heart. Too much and often consuming egg yolk can cause heart disease. In fact, to avoid this many people only consume the egg whites and throw away the yolk. However, is it really that bad egg yolk for your heart health? Are there good effects of egg yolk for your heart?
The benefits of the egg yolk for the heart
Egg yolk can indeed contribute to cholesterol levels in the blood, which if levels are too high in the blood can interfere with your heart health. However, the consumption of egg yolks does not have more impact on your blood cholesterol levels compared to you eating foods that contain saturated fats and trans fats.
In addition, the content of other nutrients in the egg yolk can actually protect your heart health. One of the many nutrients contained in egg yolks and is useful in protecting your heart is choline.
Choline is a nutrient that is known to help the development of the brain and nervous system. Not only that, choline can also help protect your heart. Choline is associated with levels of homocysteine in the blood, where if the level of homocysteine in the blood increases, the risk of heart disease will also increase. High levels of homocysteine in the blood can encourage the development of atherosclerosis and thrombogenesis, which leads to heart disease.
Well, this choline helps the body reduce levels of homocysteine in the blood by turning it into an amino acid needed by the body, called methionine. In particular, choline is a precursor that provides the methyl group to convert homocysteine to methionine. With the presence of choline, the levels of homocysteine in the blood can be controlled and not increased, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
In addition to choline, egg yolks also contain other nutrients that play a role in improving your health. Like, the content of lutein and zeaxanthin are good for eye health, as well as various kinds of vitamins such as vitamins A, B, and D which play a role in regulating the body's metabolism.
How many egg yolks are still healthy for consumption?
Although there have been many studies that say that egg yolks are not associated with heart disease. However, for those of you with high cholesterol levels you may have to be careful in consuming egg yolks. Different if you have a healthy condition, consumption of eggs every day may not have a bad impact on your heart.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one large egg contains around 186 mg of cholesterol, all of which are found in egg yolk. So, for those of you who suffer from heart disease and diabetes, you are advised to limit your consumption of egg yolk to at most three egg yolks a week. Meanwhile, for those of you who are healthy, you can eat egg yolks up to seven times per week without worrying about the risk of heart disease.
You may need to know the recommended daily limit of cholesterol intake, before you eat foods that contain cholesterol, such as egg yolks.
- If you are healthy, the recommended cholesterol intake is no more than 300 mg per day.
- If you have high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes, the recommended cholesterol intake is no more than 200 mg per day.
