Scientific studies show that cutting out fats and switching to a cholesterol-free diet does not improve health at all, and may even provoke the body to reduce the production of its own “good” cholesterol. Whereas the main reason for the increase in dangerous substances is the trans fats contained in semi-finished products, margarine, and fast food, as well as a sedentary lifestyle.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that the body needs to form membranes, synthesize cortisol and other hormones, and vitamin D. Despite the fact that more than 75% of cholesterol is produced directly by the body (mainly in the liver), many people often mistakenly believe that this substance comes exclusively from food – and they try to follow a “healthy” cholesterol-free diet.
Because cholesterol cannot dissolve in the blood, it is transported in the bloodstream by carrier proteins. As a result of attachment to such a carrier protein, two types of complexes are formed, conventionally called “bad” and “good” cholesterol. LDL (“bad” cholesterol) forms plaques, narrows the lumen of blood vessels, and causes circulatory disorders, while HDL (“good”) cleans the arteries.
What raises cholesterol in the blood?
The factors of why cholesterol levels are increased are divided into external and internal. The level of cholesterol in the blood really rises when eating foods containing a large amount of cholesterol in its pure form. However, on the other hand, its high level is most often due to reasons not related to the content of food.
Smoking and other bad habits change the normal metabolism, accelerating the process of LDL deposition on the walls of the arteries. In addition, high cholesterol levels are usually associated with impaired production of the hormone leptin and high cortisol. Among other things, health risks increase with insufficient fiber intake and an excess of fast carbohydrates in the diet.
Cholesterol in eggs
Although eggs do contain a lot of cholesterol – about 350 mg per egg – scientific studies prove that eating eggs is not harmful to health. First of all, eggs contain a number of substances that balance the dangerous effects of cholesterol: starting with omega-3 fats that are useful for metabolism and ending with vitamins A, B2, B12, D, and lecithin.
That is why there is no single answer to the question of how many eggs you can eat per day or week – in most cases it is not just about cholesterol in eggs, but about a comprehensive assessment of the nutrition and health of a particular person. Cases have been recorded when, even with the regular use of dozens of eggs a day, people did not experience problems with bad cholesterol.
Amount of nutrients in eggs:
- Selenium (16 mg per egg or 23% of DV)
- Riboflavin (14% of DV)
- Vitamin B12 (11% of DV)
- Phosphorus (10%)
- Pantothenic acid (7%)
- Vitamin A (5%)
- Iron (5%)
- Zinc (4%)
Should I give up eggs?
Nutritionists say that what foods eggs are used with plays a fundamental role. For example, a hard-boiled egg with butter will mainly turn into “bad” cholesterol. Exactly like fried eggs with sausage, bacon, and lard. But with scrambled eggs in vegetable oil or boiled eggs, the concentration of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, most likely, will not increase.
However, despite the absence of any upper limit for the consumption of chicken eggs, children (especially those under 6-7 years of age) are not recommended to eat more than 10-15 eggs per week. The reason, again, is that too many chicken eggs make the diet “one-sided”, depriving the child’s body of vitamins and minerals that eggs simply do not have.
A cholesterol-free diet
As we mentioned above, completely eliminating sources of fat (and cholesterol) in the diet can harm health more than the substance itself. Remember that a cholesterol-free diet should only be followed when your doctor has recommended it – for example, after a stroke or heart attack. Ordinary people do not need such a diet.
In addition, it is possible to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood completely without drugs – unless, of course, health problems have developed into critical ones. Reducing dangerous LDL always starts with increasing your daily physical activity levels, such as counting your daily steps. Modern recommendations say that a person should take at least 6,000 steps a day.
Diet to lower cholesterol
The key to lowering bad cholesterol is to avoid trans fats as much as possible. They are molecules that appear in unsaturated (vegetable) oils during repeated high-temperature processing. When frying and as a result of industrial processing of oils, their share can rise to a significant 20-50%.
Trans fats are found in any vegetable oils that have undergone secondary heating to high temperatures – primarily in deep-frying oils and for repeated frying of products. In addition, trans fats can form in fatty foods when they are reheated, such as in a microwave oven. Among other things, trans fats are found in margarine and pastries with its addition.
Cholesterol is an essential component of proper metabolism. The vast majority of cholesterol in the body is produced by the body itself, and no more than 20% comes from food. To reduce high cholesterol, you need to give up trans fats and exercise regularly, while switching to a cholesterol-free diet and avoiding fats can do more harm than good.