More Good News on Eggs

Inflammation is a silent killer. While inflammation has flown under the radar as a risk factor for disease, it's beginning to get a huge amount of attention. In 2002, the American Heart Association journal "Circulation" published an article called "Inflammation and Atherosclerosis" which detailed important links between the biology of inflammation and the mechanisms of heart disease. We now know that the inflammatory response- which often goes undetected in our bodies- is a contributing factor in a host of diseases including Alzheimers, cancer, strokes, diabetes and obesity. (Many of the foods in my book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" earned their place for being rich in natural anti-inflammatories such quercetin or other members of the flavonoid family.)

One way to measure inflammation in the body is with a blood test called CRP-(C-Reactive Protein). (Many docs don't do this test, but they should.) Low carb diets- especially those that are rich in vegetables and low-sugar fruits- are especially good because you get all the benefits of lower blood sugar and insulin (better blood tests and more weight loss) plus all the huge antioxidant, fiber and anti-inflammatory benefits of the vegetables and fruits. But can a low-carb diet also lower inflammation?

A ton of research has shown that carbohydrate restricted diets consistently lower triglycerides, gluose (blood sugar), and insulin levels, and often improve cholesterol profiles as well. But truth be told, we don't have a lot of research showing the effect of a low-carb diet on inflammation.

But that's changing.

A terrific new study from Jeff Volek, PhD, RD and his colleagues investigated the effect of a carbohydrate restricted diet on inflammation in a very ingenious way.

In this study, published in Nutrition and Metabolism, twenty eight overweight men consumed a restricted carbohydrate diet (17% carbohydrate, the rest from fat and protein) for 12 weeks. Half the men were told to include about three whole eggs per day and half ate the same diet without eggs. Both groups were allowed to eat as many calories as they liked, as long as the proportions of carbs, fats and protein were the same.

At the end of the study, the researchers tested blood of the subjects for CRP levels, as well as for adiponectin, a valuable compound secreted by fat cells that helps regulate insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism. (You want more adiponectin in your blood, not less.)

The men who ate the low carb diet that included eggs had significantly lower levels of CRP (inflammation) and higher adiponectin than the group that didn't eat eggs!

Volek and his team speculate that the eggs make a significant contribution to the anti-inflammatory effects of a low-carb diet possibly due to two factors- the cholesterol in the eggs which increases HDL "good" cholesterol, and the antioxidant lutein (found in the yolk) which lowers inflammation.

If you've heard me talk before or read any of my stuff you know one of my biggest pet peeves is the idiotic notion that we shouldn't eat eggs because of their cholesterol (or fat, for that matter).

If this study doesn't blow that one out of the water, I don't know what will (though old "religious" views on nutrition do die hard, especially when you have "spokespeople" from the American Dietetic Assocation perpetuating them to anyone who'll listen. But don't get me started.)

The cholesterol in eggs does not significantly impact your blood levels of cholesterol in any way. No study- ever- has shown that egg eaters die at a different rate or have higher rates of heart disease than non-egg eaters.

There is absolutely no reason to eat "egg white omlettes". Egg yolks are also a potent source of lutein and xeazanthin, two important antioxidants that are critical for eye health, and they also contain an important compound called choline which helps your body make acetyl-choline, one of the important neurotransmitters for thinking, memory and brain health.

In my book, that makes eggs "brain food"!