Is eating 2 eggs a day too much?

[EGGO]

A simple question that I'm betting has a complex answer. Everyday for breakfast, I have 2 eggs in whatever fashion without salt, maybe pepper but that's rare. During weekends I'd have one whole egg, but use the other to make buckwheat pancakes. I've been doing it for about a week or 2, and though I've been training hard, I still worry about the cholesterol level.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

have it checked get your answer. We are not fortune tellers.

 

[uclaLabrat]

I think you're fine, exercise has shown to be a fairly good moderator of cholesterol I believe, and on top of that (correct me if I'm wrong), dietary cholesterol has less of an effect than the cholesterol your body makes, which is why the statin drugs are the biggest money makers out there.

 

[conorvansmack]

You're right it's complex in that it's different for everyone. If you're concerned, follow IcebergSlim's advice and ask your primary care doctor to do a CBC (blood panel). Track it every few months or more if you're really concerned. It's something that should be part of your annual physical exam.

 

[imported_Imp]

I'd go for a maximum of 2 every other day with some breaks between. I had my bilirubin checked a few months ago, and it was 'abnormally' high. Ultrasound showed no gall bladder stones, and I didn't get any yellower, so no problem. Because of that, I stopped my 2/3 eggs a day and spread it out a bit to decrease the risk a bit. If I remember right, cholesterol inceases risk slightly, but most people with gall stones may be genetically predisposed.

 

[oddyager]

The yolk is where most of the cholesterol and fats are. Eat egg whites versus the whole egg.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: oddyager
The yolk is where most of the cholesterol and fats are. Eat egg whites versus the whole egg.

Dietary cholesterol has been shown in many, many research studies to have very little effect on blood serum cholesterol levels. The main effector of LDL cholesterol is saturated fat. It is transported via LDLs. However, cholesterol you eat doesn't really need that. Refer to this site. It has also been reproduced consistently and is taught in nutrition classes worldwide now. Don't worry about cholesterol intake.

If you're really worried about bad cholesterol, limit saturated fat intake and also limit fructose intake. The product of fructose in the body is transported via small dense LDL, which is the LDLs that cause atherosclerosis supposedly. Saturated fat is transported via large buoyant LDLs, supposedly not able to work their way under epithelial cells and start the oxidation process.

More importantly, looking at LDL itself is a bad way to measure cholesterol. The ratio of HDL to triglycerides is actually more important. If you have high HDL and low triglycerides, your LDL is less important in the equation (unless you eat a ton of lard and crystalline fructose).

 

[TallBill]

I eat like 4-8 eggs a day. meh

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: conorvansmack
You're right it's complex in that it's different for everyone. If you're concerned, follow IcebergSlim's advice and ask your primary care doctor to do a CBC (blood panel). Track it every few months or more if you're really concerned. It's something that should be part of your annual physical exam.

A CBC won't give him the information he needs. He needs a lipid panel run.

And yes, I am splitting hairs.

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: oddyager
The yolk is where most of the cholesterol and fats are. Eat egg whites versus the whole egg.

Dietary cholesterol has been shown in many, many research studies to have very little effect on blood serum cholesterol levels. The main effector of LDL cholesterol is saturated fat. It is transported via LDLs. However, cholesterol you eat doesn't really need that. Refer to this site. It has also been reproduced consistently and is taught in nutrition classes worldwide now. Don't worry about cholesterol intake.

If you're really worried about bad cholesterol, limit saturated fat intake and also limit fructose intake. The product of fructose in the body is transported via small dense LDL, which is the LDLs that cause atherosclerosis supposedly. Saturated fat is transported via large buoyant LDLs, supposedly not able to work their way under epithelial cells and start the oxidation process.

More importantly, looking at LDL itself is a bad way to measure cholesterol. The ratio of HDL to triglycerides is actually more important. If you have high HDL and low triglycerides, your LDL is less important in the equation (unless you eat a ton of lard and crystalline fructose).

this. 2 eggs a day is perfectly fine for most people.

 

[polarmystery]

Originally posted by: TallBill
I eat like 4-8 eggs a day. meh

This.

 

[brandonb]

Studies have shown that as long as you are healthy (meaning not obese and exercise regularly) the body can metabolise the cholesterol just fine.

 

[fleabag]

One pretty big egg has about a day's worth of cholesterol. What I usually do to compromise in a situation like this is to have one whole egg and then have another egg but strain out and toss the yolk. That way I have the fatty part of the egg but not too much of it.

Originally posted by: brandonb
Studies have shown that as long as you are healthy (meaning not obese and exercise regularly) the body can metabolise the cholesterol just fine.

That's not usually the issue, the issue is atherosclerosis.

 

[SP33Demon]

It's simple, if you have high cholesterol, eat more dietary fiber. So go get it checked.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: fleabag
One pretty big egg has about a day's worth of cholesterol. What I usually do to compromise in a situation like this is to have one whole egg and then have another egg but strain out and toss the yolk. That way I have the fatty part of the egg but not too much of it.

Originally posted by: brandonb
Studies have shown that as long as you are healthy (meaning not obese and exercise regularly) the body can metabolise the cholesterol just fine.

That's not usually the issue, the issue is atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol is used as an indicator of atherosclerosis. Also, as I said, research has pretty strongly shown that dietary cholesterol doesn't affect blood serum cholesterol and therefore doesn't have any effect on the development of atherosclerosis. You're wasting egg if you strain out the yolk. It's unnecessary.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: fleabag
One pretty big egg has about a day's worth of cholesterol. What I usually do to compromise in a situation like this is to have one whole egg and then have another egg but strain out and toss the yolk. That way I have the fatty part of the egg but not too much of it.

Originally posted by: brandonb
Studies have shown that as long as you are healthy (meaning not obese and exercise regularly) the body can metabolise the cholesterol just fine.

That's not usually the issue, the issue is atherosclerosis.

As SC said, cholesterol levels are used as an indicator, not as the cause. Whatever cholesterol you don't consume your body will make in order to repair tissues damaged by atherosclerosis, so it doesn't really matter how much you eat.

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: TallBill
I eat like 4-8 eggs a day. meh

same here. I eat 36 per week. Cholesterol is fine for me.

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

As SC said, cholesterol levels are used as an indicator, not as the cause. Whatever cholesterol you don't consume your body will make in order to repair tissues damaged by atherosclerosis, so it doesn't really matter how much you eat.

Hang on a sec there.

We've gone from "you don't have to be that concerned" to "it doesn't really matter." Big difference. It's a bell-curve continuum, like most things physiological. At one end of the spectrum, some people are not going to respond at all if they cram egg yolks into everything they eat, others' cholesterol will shoot up with just a few.

Most of us probably fall into the camp where we don't need to be concerned about dietary intake on a day to day basis with a few eggs but there is a good reason why very low cholesterol diet is part of the recommended intake after a cardiac event. It's not a reason to stuff your face with quail eggs.

 

[jayjay85]

i have 4 in the morning, just take out the yoke, egg whites by themselves are nasty but theyv got all the stuff u need

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: jayjay85
i have 4 in the morning, just take out the yoke, egg whites by themselves are nasty but theyv got all the stuff u need

Huh? All the GOOD stuff (sans protein) is in the yolk. Vitamins, minerals... Yolk is the best part, and straining it out because of cholesterol hysteria is dumb.