Whole eggs, once derided as a dietary villain that could raise your cholesterol, may actually boost levels of the “good” form of blood cholesterol and lower the risk of developing diabetes and other health problems associated with “metabolic syndrome,” a new study has found.
A University of Connecticut study, presented this week at the Experimental Biology 2012 scientific meeting in San Diego, suggests that eating eggs may have favorable effects on HDL cholesterol metabolism in men and women with metabolic syndrome.
Researchers found participants on carbohydrate-restricted diets who ate three whole eggs per day for three months had significantly greater increases in HDL -- "good" cholesterol – which scavenges for fat throughout the bloodstream and reduces a person’s risk of developing hardening of the arteries.
By comparison, researchers found a group of others eating an equivalent amount of egg substitute didn’t have the same benefits. They also found consuming whole eggs as part of a carbohydrate-restricted diet may also reduce inflammation in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Doctors diagnose the syndrome in people with a variety of conditions that raise their risk of heart disease, including abdominal fat, high blood pressure, increased blood sugar and low HDL cholesterol.