Eggs have reportedly been blacklisted for those worried about their cholesterol, but it seems they can now make their way back on the menu.
A panel of nutrition and public health experts has proposed new U.S. dietary guidelines that suggest that cholesterol should not be a nutrient of concern as the amount of cholesterol coming from food isn’t enough to worry about, according to TIME.
“There have been multiple analyses and meta-analyses now looking at intake of dietary cholesterol and the risk of heart disease,” stated Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Mozaffarian added, “In the general population, there’s really not any strong evidence for a link.”
Cholesterol from people’s diets reportedly represents only about 20% of the cholesterol circulating in the human bloodstream so lowering the intake will affect levels by only a small amount, according to the LA Times. Evidence has reportedly suggested that a more effective way to adjust cholesterol levels might be to take medication such as statins instead.
“From my perspective, our dietary guidelines should be based on where we have strong evidence for good and where we have strong evidence for harm, and everything else should be kind of left out until we get strong evidence,” explained Mozaffarian.
He added, “Dietary cholesterol is not in a place, I think, where there’s strong evidence for harm.”
Although the new advice suggested by the panel has taken the focus off cholesterol levels, it reportedly continues to urge Americans to reduce their intake of saturated fat and sodium, and to eat more fruits, vegetable, legumes and nuts. Now that cholesterol is off the list, some have expressed that saturated fat, which has reportedly become a prime focus for this recent panel, is not a point of concern either.
“They don’t move at all on the issue of what kinds of fats to eat,” stated Dr. Steven Nissen, a chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Cardiovascular Medicine.
He continued, “They continue to recommend limiting saturated fat and supporting polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. I would have liked the guidelines to be a little more neutral on saturated fat.”