Start with an egg to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, scientists say.
A study of nearly 5,000 people shows that the iconic advertising slogan of the 1960s may actually provide significant health benefits.
Participants who ate a whole egg a day had higher levels of healthy protein and good cholesterol in their blood, and lower levels of bad cholesterol.
This combination reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing the arteries from clogging, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Eggs went out of fashion decades ago, after studies attributed their consumption to an increase in bad cholesterol.
The Egg Marketing Board’s “Start with an Egg” campaign was not restarted in 2007 after a watchdog found that it did not promote healthy eating.
But recent research has found that people who eat eggs have more than one protein in their blood called APOA1, an important building block of good cholesterol.

“Go work with an egg” was a famous slogan of the egg industry in the 1950s and 1960s, and now Chinese scientists have discovered that people who eat more eggs have “good” cholesterol, which helps prevent heart attacks and strokes. block
What is the difference between good and bad cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is vital for the normal functioning of the body.
It is produced in the liver and carried by proteins in the blood and is roughly divided into “good” and “bad” cholesterol.
Too much of the bad type can cause it to build up in the arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart, brain, and the rest of the body.
This increases the risk of angina, heart attack, stroke, and blood clots.
It is called good cholesterol – high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which carries fat from the cells to the liver, where it is broken down or forwarded as waste.
“Bad cholesterol” – low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – carries cholesterol into cells, and then excess cholesterol that builds up on artery walls.
High cholesterol may be genetic, but it’s linked to a diet high in saturated fat, as well as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a family history of stroke or heart disease.
Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per liter of blood, often abbreviated as mmol/L.
A healthy adult should have an overall level of 5 mmol/L or less, and LDL levels should not exceed 3 mmol/L. An ideal HDL level is above 1 mmol/L.
Cholesterol can be lowered by following a healthy, low-fat diet; not smoking; and exercise regularly.
If these do not help, cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may be prescribed.
Researchers from Peking University in Beijing looked at 4,778 Chinese adults ages 30 to 79.
Participants were asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire about their food consumption in the last 12 months.
It included questions about how often they consumed 12 food groups, including eggs, rice, wheat, meat, poultry, fish, fresh vegetables, fruit, and dairy products.
People were asked if they ate eggs “never/rarely” one to three days a week, four to six days a week, or every day.
The average score was eating eggs 2.6 days a week.
Participants were also given blood tests.
The scientists found that people who ate four to seven eggs a week had high APOA1 levels.
APOA1 is a building block of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good cholesterol” that carries fats to the liver to be broken down.
HDL is responsible for keeping arteries and blood vessels free of fatty deposits.
The scientists also identified 14 proteins linked to heart disease, some of which help maintain the disease and others that contribute to it.
Research participants who ate less eggs were found to have lower levels of beneficial proteins and higher levels of harmful proteins compared to people who ate eggs more often.
Lead author Professor Canqing Yu, an expert in epidemiology and public health at the University of China, said the findings offer a possible explanation for why moderate egg consumption is good for cardiovascular health.
“Egg consumption is associated with several metabolic markers, which may partially explain the protective effect of moderate egg consumption on cardiovascular disease,” he said.
The authors added that their findings support the Chinese government’s dietary guidelines that recommend people eat 40-50g of whole eggs per day; this is roughly equivalent to a single medium to large egg.
However, the team added that more work is needed to confirm their findings.
Results will be published in eVita magazine †
Eggs have gotten bad over the last few decades due to the high cholesterol content in their yolks.
One large egg contains about 186 mg of cholesterol, which is about half the recommended daily intake for adults.
But research since then has shown that the cholesterol in eggs has no significant effect on blood cholesterol levels.
Instead, the focus has shifted to the role of saturated fatty acids in foods such as butter and fatty meats, which have a direct effect on bad cholesterol levels.
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for around one in four preventable deaths in the UK, including conditions such as heart disease and stroke with high cholesterol, which are considered high risk factors for these conditions.
In total, cardiovascular disease causes 160,000 deaths in the UK each year, an average of 460 deaths per day.
The death rate in the United States is even higher, with heart disease killing 659,000 people a year.
According to the British Egg Industry Council, the average British eats around 202 eggs a year, which is equivalent to 13.5 billion eggs.
Source: Daily Mail

I am Anne Johnson and I work as an author at the Fashion Vibes. My main area of expertise is beauty related news, but I also have experience in covering other types of stories like entertainment, lifestyle, and health topics. With my years of experience in writing for various publications, I have built strong relationships with many industry insiders. My passion for journalism has enabled me to stay on top of the latest trends and changes in the world of beauty.