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No one can tell us what came first, the chicken or the egg, but many experts have plenty to say about the health benefits or risks that come with eating eggs. Should we be eating them, or avoid them?
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at about 30,000 people for 17 years.
"There's definitely, sadly, a direct corelation between bad outcome, cardiac events, mortality and consumption." says Dr. Soheil Saba, a cardiologist with Ascension Providence Hospital.
Let's analyze the egg. It's inexpensive, full of protein and other good nutrients - but that yolk is full of cholesterol. Almost 200 miligrams, in fact, which is substantial. And cholesterol can be problematic.
"We know that the leading cause of events or adverse outcome in humans is blockages in the arteries of the heart and other vessels in the body. Eating eggs that have high cholesterol can help develop plaque and then develop what's commonly known as hardening of the arteries," Dr. Saba says.
The study wasn't perfect because it relied on people to self report their egg consumption. So here's the takeaway: if you're without any heart disease risk factors, there's probably no need to drop the eggs from your breakfast menu. Others might want to be more careful.
"If you have high blood pressure, we have diabetes, we have a stroke family history, this is where diet would play a bigger role and we really have to be strict with our diet," Dr. Saba says.