Mental Health

Egg Yolks, Healthy or Not?

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Feb 22, 2016 09:47 AM EST

Egg yolks have been demonized for quite sometime because of the cholesterol content in the yellow part. However, yolks also contain all the good properties of an egg such as folate, vitamins, iron and most importantly, they contain nutrients - zeaxanthin and lutein, responsible for healthy eyes and brain.

The only time dietary cholesterol can spell bad news is for the heart patients. But the latest research says that it may be not that bad after all. "Dietary cholesterol does not translate into high levels of blood cholesterol," says Dr. Luc Djoussé, an associate professor and heart disease researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, reports Time.

A recent study conducted by Djoussé on heart disease and eggs says has a different story to share. "Current scientific data do not justify worries about egg consumption, including egg yolk, when it comes to heart health," he says.

The national health officials do not dispute that the latest dietary guidelines for American heart patients does not ask to limit the dietary cholesterol. Even those people whose genes expose them to an increased risk of heart and cholesterol problems are not under any dangers of consuming an egg every day, says the new study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Dr. Jyrki Virtanen from the University of Eastern Finland says that his study points out that just to focus on a single food item, such as cholesterol in egg, is not a reliable way to determine the health effect of that food. Others experts agree. "Our focus should be on healthy dietary patterns, not specific foods or nutrients," says Dr. Robert Eckel, a program chair and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "Eggs get a lot of attention because they're so popular and for a while were kind of vilified," he says. "But I'm a lot more concerned about people eating more fruits and vegetables, and adhering to a healthy dietary pattern like a Mediterranean-style diet or the DASH diet."

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