Health Tip from Dr Marilyn Glenville’s Health Digest Natural News for Women
Over the years, eggs have had bad press, from raising cholesterol to harbouring salmonella. (More studies are showing that the cholesterol in eggs raises our “good” cholesterol rather than “bad”.) What we’ve rarely heard – apart from in advertising slogans – is just how good eggs are for you. For just 77 calories per egg, you get protein, fats, selenium, iodine, molybdenum, choline, phosphorus, vitamin B2, B5, B12 and vitamin D – and more!
And now more good news for egg lovers. A new study has found that they may also lower blood pressure as effectively as Ace inhibitors, prescription-only pills taken by millions around the world. Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes they produce a protein that acts in the same way.
Earlier the same month, researchers for the British Nutrition Foundation concluded that the type of cholesterol found in eggs has minimal effect on raising the risk of heart disease. It is saturated fat, rather than the cholesterol found in eggs, that is the main dietary culprit in raising cholesterol levels. Smoking, being overweight and lack of exercise also influence the risk of heart disease, blood fat and cholesterol levels.
The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005. However, a poll found almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies.