Cholesterol in Eggs – Are eggs good or bad for you?

cholesterol in eggsCholesterol in Eggs

Cholesterol in eggs is high by default, and too many eggs can contribute not only high cholesterol but also heart attack, diabetes, and stroke. Eating four eggs or fewer weekly does not necessitate high cholesterol or heart problems, but there is a measure of caution you should take with eating eggs. Those who have diabetes or some other heart or health issue should restrict the amount of cholesterol intake a day (which includes eggs). Here are some other facts for cholesterol information:

 

  • High cholesterol is known as “hypercholesterolemia”: the word “hyper” means “above” or “high”; the ending “emia” means “in the blood.” The word, taken with all of its parts, translates to “high cholesterol in the blood.”
  • Cholesterol is found in both animals and humans.
  • Certain meats are high in cholesterol.
  • High cholesterol levels are dependent upon factors such as weight, exercise routine or lack thereof, diabetes, age and sex, genetics, and diet regimen.
  • Health regulations recommend that adults age 20 and up undergo cholesterol screening every five years. If your cholesterol is in the 200-239 range, you are borderline for high cholesterol. If your cholesterol is 240 and up, you have high cholesterol.
  • There are two types of cholesterol: 1) Low-Density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and 2) High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol should remain low and is considered to be the bad cholesterol, while the HDL should be high and is deemed the good cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood requires exercise, diet, and often medication for those who cannot lower their LDL cholesterol through diet and exercise.

 

What is the high cholesterol treatment for someone whose LDL level cannot be lowered through diet and exercise? There are four types of medication treatment for high LDL levels: 1) statins, 2) fibrates, 3) resins, and 4) ezetimibe. Statins are cholesterol-enzyme-blockers. There is an enzyme in the liver that produces cholesterol known as hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), and statins block this enzyme in order to lower cholesterol production. Fibrates, known formally as fibric acid derivatives, are medications that lower triglyceride levels found in the human body. A particle that carries triglyceride (VLDL) brings constant amounts within the body, and fibrates are medicines that have been created to isolate this certain particle and prevent it from its goal. Two fibrates in the United States are gemfibrozil (Lopid) and fenofibrate (Tricor). While fibrates can help an individual’s medical state, they cannot lower LDL cholesterol levels. Taken in combination with exercise and a strict regimen, they can do much to improve cholesterol levels.

 

Resins are oral drugs that remove high amounts of cholesterol in the blood. Often known as bile acid resins, they contain acid found in the intestines and then release it through human stool. The two main bile acid resins common in the United States are Cholestyramine (Questran) and Colestipol (Colestid). Both medicines come in powder and tablet form and must be consumed with water or fruit juice when taken as prescribed. Bile acid resins are normally prescribed for ingestion twice a day (sometimes three times) and have been known in some cases to produce gas, bloating, constipation, and nausea. Resins, like statins and fibrates, block enzymes that produce cholesterol.

 

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2002, ezetimibe is used to treat the presence of high cholesterol in the intestine. Unlike statins, which prohibit the production of cholesterol, ezetimibe minimizes cholesterol absorption from the intestine. Statins are the most common drug treatment for high cholesterol, but ezetimibe is a “step two” drug treatment in case statins are ineffective in a person’s blood stream.

 

Do eggs raise cholesterol? Eggs in general do not raise cholesterol, since a person can eat four or few eggs a week without gaining high cholesterol. Eating too many eggs can raise your cholesterol, since eggs are dairy products (and dairy products, along with meat, are sources of high cholesterol). If you have a high level of cholesterol (high LDL), you should minimize the amount of eggs you eat daily and weekly. If you have low LDL cholesterol, you should still avoid eating too many eggs—since they are a high-cholesterol source.

 

Dietary cholesterol is found in high-fat foods such as eggs, steak, milk, butter, fish and other meats and dairy products. Dietary cholesterol is a bad type of cholesterol (like LDL) that increases the amount of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) level and should be avoided in order to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. The counsel from the American Heart Association is that humans should avoid eating more than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol each day—the equivalent amount found in twelve ounces of beef or 1.5 eggs.

 

What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a chemical produced by the body that is the result of liver production. The liver produces eighty percent of the cholesterol found in humans, while the other twenty percent comes from milk, butter, meat, eggs, and other dairy and meat products. When a person eats a meal, the cholesterol from the food makes its way into the bloodstream, where it is then absorbed into the liver. The goal of cholesterol medications is to stop the progress of such low-density and dietary cholesterol from making a successful trip to the intestines and then the liver.

 

Cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing. The body needs some amount of cholesterol for an excellent overall health. However, when too much cholesterol is ingested, it can lead to all sorts of health complications that require medical treatment, in addition to a strict regimen and routine exercise. Cholesterol in eggs can be both a blessing and a curse—depending on where you fall in terms of your cholesterol levels.