Can eating an egg a day lead to increased blood lipids in the elderly? see what the doctor says
The reason why everyone has this question, I think is because the cholesterol content in eggs is high, people worry that the elderly will consume too much cholesterol after eating eggs, which will cause the cholesterol in the body to rise, which will cause arteriosclerosis and endanger the heart and brain. Vascular health. Now let's talk about cholesterol.
The weight of each normal egg is about 50 grams, and the cholesterol content of an egg is about 200 mg; the protein content is 5-7 grams, which contains 8 kinds of amino acids necessary for the human body, and is very similar to the composition of human protein; The fat content is about 4-6 grams; it is also rich in minerals and vitamins, which are mainly distributed in the egg yolk, which is rich in lecithin, sterols, lecithin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D and B vitamins [1].
The cholesterol that the human body needs to take in food every day is 600-700 mg, which means that all the cholesterol in an egg is recognized and absorbed, and it cannot meet the daily physiological needs of the human body. However, the human intestinal absorption rate of cholesterol in eggs is only about 30%.
Therefore, we can calculate that an adult with normal intestinal function in his prime can only increase cholesterol by about 60 mg by eating an egg. It does not raise the cholesterol level in the body at all.
We continue to think down, after cholesterol enters the human body, it will be converted into high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (that is, good cholesterol we usually say, this cholesterol can prevent arteriosclerosis) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (that is, we usually say of bad cholesterol, which can lead to arteriosclerosis). If we eat just one egg, the amount of bad cholesterol we increase in our body is negligible.
The intestinal function of the elderly is reduced, and the intake of cholesterol is very limited by eating an egg. And this part of cholesterol is converted into harmful low-density lipoprotein sterols in the body is very small. Therefore, if the elderly consume an egg every day, there is no problem at all, and they can eat it with confidence.
Most people have a misconception that high cholesterol is caused by excessive intake of cholesterol from food. In fact, 80% of cholesterol is metabolized in the body, and only 20% comes from food. Many people's elevated cholesterol is not caused by excessive intake of food, but a problem with metabolism in the body. This is the reason why many people feel that their diet is well controlled and their cholesterol is still elevated.
Elevated cholesterol is harmful to the human body, but lower cholesterol can also be harmful to the human body. Patients with low cholesterol have significantly lower immunity, and patients with low cholesterol have a significantly higher incidence of malignant tumors than those with normal cholesterol. Studies by foreign scholars have found that the aging speed of the nervous system of people whose cholesterol is at a low value for a long time is significantly accelerated [2].
If you do not have high risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, you do not need to lower your cholesterol too low, you just need to maintain it within the normal range.
Eggs are a nutrient-dense food that is rich in vitamins and minerals in addition to cholesterol, protein and fat. The protein and amino acids in eggs are similar to those of the human body, so the protein absorption rate in eggs is over 98%, which is an economical high-protein food. Other components in eggs are essential to the human body and play an extremely important role in the human body, such as repairing human tissues, forming new tissues, consuming energy and participating in complex metabolic processes.
In general, healthy elderly people eat an egg every day, the cholesterol in the blood will not increase significantly, there will be no harm to the human body, and there are many benefits. You can eat it with confidence.
The above are some of Dr. Zhang's thoughts on the daily consumption of eggs for the elderly. If you agree with my point of view, you are welcome to follow, leave a message or like. If you want to know more about health issues, please follow me and I will show you in my future works. It is not easy to create, thank you for your support, I am Zhang Wei, a doctor outside the gods, see you in the next issue.
【references】
[1] Chicken egg white mediated synthesis of platinum nanoclusters for the selective detection of carbidopa[J]. Shraddha Borse,Z.V.P. Murthy,Suresh Kumar Kailasa. Optical Materials.
[2] Are high doses of carbidopa a concern? A randomized, clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease.[J]. Brod Lissa S,Aldred Jason L,Nutt John G. Movement disorders ： official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 2012(6)