New research shows that egg cholesterol does not impact the harmful, most atherogenic, LDL-cholesterol particles in blood, according to a new study published in the June issue of Metabolism.
Based on this study and others, strategies to effectively control harmful blood lipids that increase risk for cardiovascular disease -- the leading killer of both American men and women -- is to eat a diet that is low in saturated and trans fatty acids, rather than focusing on dietary cholesterol.
University of Connecticut researchers studied over 50 men and women and found that the addition of either one egg or three eggs a day did not raise the fractions of LDL-cholesterol that increase one's risk for heart disease. "We found that the dietary cholesterol in eggs does raise the LDL-1 and LDL-2 fractions but it does not impact the small, dense LDL-3 through LDL-7 particles that are the greatest threat for cardiovascular disease risk," explained Maria Luz Fernandez, PhD. "We also found that that egg cholesterol did not impact the small, dense LDL particles among a sub-set of participants who were genetically predisposed to being most sensitive to dietary cholesterol."