Loading ...Healthy NutritionMore Bad Health Advice Falls by the Wayside
After years of getting a bad rep for being high in cholesterol, eggs are making their way back to the breakfast table. That’s because of an ingenious new study by Volek et al.1 who investigated the effect of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on disease-causing inflammation. (Inflammation is a contributing factor in a host of diseases including Alzheimer’s, cancer, strokes, diabetes and obesity).
In the study, 28 overweight men consumed a diet of 17% carbohydrate, 57% fat, and 26% protein for 12 weeks. Half the men were given a diet which included about three whole eggs per day and half ate the same diet without eggs. Both groups were allowed to eat as many calories as they liked, as long as the proportions of carbs, fats, and protein were the same.
At the end of the study, researchers tested the blood of the subjects for levels of inflammation and a valuable compound called adiponectin that is secreted by fat cells. You want more adiponectin in your blood because it helps regulate insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism.
The men who ate the low carb diet that included eggs had significantly lower levels of inflammation and higher levels of adiponectin than the group that didn’t eat eggs!
Volek and his team speculate that the eggs make a significant contribution to the anti-inflammatory effects of a low-carb diet possibly due to two factors — the cholesterol in the eggs which increases HDL “good” cholesterol and the antioxidant lutein (found in the yolk) which lowers inflammation.
So much for not eating eggs because they have “cholesterol”!
Reference
- Volek JS et al. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008; 5: 6.
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in psychology and the author of five books including The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. His latest book is The Most Effective Cures on Earth.For more information, click here.]
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Tags: cholesterol, eggs, low carb diet, protein
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