Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on February 1, 2013 at 9:58am

I eat a lot of eggs. For years I've found the evidence that eggs are unhealthy as unwarranted. If there is any effect, it is minor. There is a principle in medicine, it is that if the effect is real, then it will be proportional to the dosage. More eggs, more heart disease. This study combined the results of a bunch of studies to get more resolution on the question. The curve for the dose response for coronary heart disease is shown below.

I frankly don't think there is any effect. And while the authors did note an effect on a diabetic population, there were only four small studies that looked at diabetics, and you really cannot consider the results for diabetics as reliable.

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Permalink Reply by BadMoonT2 on February 1, 2013 at 10:14am

As far as diabetics are concerned you would also have to control for A1C as a high A1C is associated with a higher incidence of heart disease irrespective of diet. To me eggs are an ideal diabetic food if you are restricting carbs and/or have a good A1C.

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on February 1, 2013 at 11:41am

Yep, pretty much the only food I can eat for breakfast, so it's a moot point!

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on February 1, 2013 at 2:42pm

Not really. You can always switch to EggBeaters or egg whites.

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on February 1, 2013 at 3:19pm

Not me, it's that substitute thing again, I just don't care for! My cholesterol is ok; I have been taking Lipitor for many years but I don't have any issues with that.

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Permalink Reply by Cosumne Jan on February 1, 2013 at 2:36pm

I eat a lot of eggs on my very low carb diet. My cholesterol is 123, with all the other numbers in their right places. It's the carbs that will often keep your cholesterol high, NOT eating fat or things with cholesterol in them.

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Permalink Reply by Stemwinder on February 1, 2013 at 4:05pm

Eggs a couple of times a week is enough for me. My cholesterol has always been OK, not great but OK so I'm not going to worry a lot about it.

As far as bacon goes I have one word Yummmmmmm!!!

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Permalink Reply by Deborah on February 1, 2013 at 6:06pm

Since my dx, I eat eggs most days of the week and my cholesterol numbers (never bad) have improved. I also eat plenty of nuts, sardines & salmon, and perhaps most importantly, exercise (nearly) every day.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wittman on February 1, 2013 at 7:49pm

I suppose I eat a half dozen eggs each week. My cholesterol is naturally high and I take statins to keep it in check. Statins work for me and I don't see what the big deal is that surrounds them. I try to stay away from very greasy foods and eat reasonably, leaning toward high protein foods.

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Permalink Reply by Judith on February 1, 2013 at 8:01pm

Folderol! Eggs are a great meatless source of protein and nutrients for us. And the link between cholesterol and heart disease is far from proven. I hope BSC will weigh in. He and Gerri are always full of good info on the subject. I was on a statin for 6 months once. Never again.It was horrible, though I know for many folks they are not troublesome.

My doc suggests statins every visit and every visit I say Been there, done that. Quality of life counts for a lot, too. And while I hate to be a paranoid conspiracist, I do think Big Pharma would like to put statins in our drinking water, if they could......Blessings on all our varied paths.....

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Permalink Reply by JohnG on February 2, 2013 at 4:12am

I eat 2 eggs every day, most of my life,  my numbers have never been high. If you have diabetes they just automatically place you at high risk. If you ever smoked your a smoker, even if you never inhaled and it was just that one time at a party....I also love bacon, cheese, and red meat.

Component Results

Component	Your Value	Standard Range	Units
CHOLESTEROL	138	120-199	mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDEs	145	50-150	mg/dL
HDL	64	>39	mg/dL
CHOL/HDL RATIO	2.2	<5.0
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL	74	95-160	mg/dL
(Note) Non-HDL Cholesterol = Total Cholesterol - HDL Cholesterol National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) Guidelines The reference ranges provided (effective 08/22/02) are based on ATP III Guidelines and are not population-based reference ranges using a population of healthy individuals. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Risk Factors* --> Cigarette Smoking --> Hypertension (BP >= 140/90 mm Hg, or on hypertensive medication) --> Low HDL Cholesterol (<40 mg/dL) --> Family History of premature CHD [CHD in first degree relative (M < age 55; F < age 65)] --> Age (Men >= 45 years; Women >= 55 years) *Diabetes is regarded as a CHD risk-equivalent. LDL and Non-HDL Cholesterol Goals: Risk Category ------------- CHD and CHD Risk Equivalents LDL: <100 mg/dL Non-HDL: <130 mg/dL Multiple (>= 2) risk factors LDL: <130 mg/dL Non-HDL: <160 mg/dL 0 or 1 risk factor LDL: <160 mg/dL Non-HDL: <190 mg/dL Risk calculator: www.nhlbi.nih.gov
LDL	45	<100	mg/dL

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