Can I still eat egg yolks if I have hyperlipidemia?

Author: Zhao Yajun, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Zhou Jing, deputy chief physician, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Reviewer : Jiang Sunfang, Chief Physician, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

In our daily life, it is not difficult to find a phenomenon: many people are used to eating only egg whites and discarding egg yolks when enjoying eggs, especially those with high blood lipids, who think that the cholesterol in egg yolks is too high, as if consuming a little egg yolk will make the efforts to lower blood lipids go to waste. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. Today, let us uncover the fog and discuss whether patients with hyperlipidemia can eat egg yolks? How to eat egg yolks?

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1. What is hyperlipidemia ?

To know whether people with hyperlipidemia can eat egg yolks, we must first understand what hyperlipidemia is. Hyperlipidemia refers to a disease in which the lipid content in the blood is too high, especially high cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins.

Generally speaking, if the total cholesterol in the blood is higher than 5.2 mmol/L, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is higher than 3.4 mmol/L, or the triglyceride is higher than 1.7 mmol/L, it can be diagnosed as hyperlipidemia [1].

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High blood lipids are harmful to human health. Not only do they silently erode our blood vessels and cause atherosclerosis, but they may also cause atherosclerotic plaques to rupture at certain times, causing a fatal blow to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, leading to myocardial infarction and stroke, and endangering the patient's life.

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2. What are the factors that affect blood lipid levels?

If you want to know whether you can still eat egg yolks if you have hyperlipidemia, you need to further understand what factors affect the body's blood lipid levels.

1. Individual Differences

Different individuals have different abilities to metabolize cholesterol. Therefore, the effect of eating egg yolks on blood lipids varies from person to person.

2. Diet structure

The overall dietary structure has a more significant impact on blood lipids. If the diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats (such as olive oil, nuts, etc.), then the impact of moderate intake of egg yolks on blood lipids will be relatively small.

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3. Lifestyle

Lack of exercise, smoking, drinking, etc. can also increase the risk of hyperlipidemia.

Therefore, blood lipid levels are the result of multiple factors. Egg yolk is just the tip of the iceberg in the dietary structure. While paying attention to the impact of egg yolk intake on blood lipids, we should also pay attention to individual differences, overall dietary structure, and lifestyle adjustments to manage blood lipid levels more comprehensively and scientifically.

3. What are the ingredients of egg yolk?

Only by knowing ourselves and the enemy can we unravel the mystery. Let’s take a look at the composition of egg yolks. Does egg yolks have nothing good in them except cholesterol? In fact, egg yolks contain a lot of things. In addition to cholesterol, they are also rich in lecithin , high-quality protein , vitamins A, E , B1, B2, calcium, magnesium, selenium and other minerals, as well as antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, and trace amounts of carbohydrates [2].

After reading this, do you feel that we have wronged the egg yolk? Since many people don’t know much about egg yolks, what they often hear the most is that egg yolks contain high cholesterol. Therefore, the bad side of egg yolks has been magnified, and even to the point of being avoided. Little do people know that 70% of the cholesterol in the human body is synthesized by the body itself, and only 30% of the cholesterol comes from external food intake. In addition, if you have hyperlipidemia due to high triglycerides, although the cholesterol content in egg yolks is high, its effect on triglyceride levels is minimal . Therefore, people with high blood lipids can eat egg yolks, not only because the cholesterol in egg yolks has limited effect on blood lipids, but the most important point is that egg yolks contain more nutrients that are beneficial to the human body.

So, can we eat egg yolks as much as we want?

Of course not. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) recommends that individuals without high blood lipids consume one egg per day, which is generally considered safe and healthy [2]. For patients with high blood lipids, according to the recommendations of the Basic Health Management Standards for Dyslipidemia, the intake of egg yolks should be controlled in moderation, not exceeding three eggs per week, so that they can enjoy the deliciousness and nutrition brought by egg yolks while ensuring their health [3].

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References

[1] Joint Expert Committee on the Revision of the Chinese Guidelines for Blood Lipid Management. Chinese Guidelines for Blood Lipid Management (Primary Edition 2024)[J]. Chinese General Practice, 2024, 27(20): 2429-2436.

[2] Editorial Department of Acta Nutrimenta Sinica. “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)” released in Beijing[J]. Acta Nutrimenta Sinica, 2022, 44(6): 521-522.

[3] Zhejiang Provincial Association of Preventive Medicine Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Prevention and Control Professional Committee, Zhejiang Provincial Association of Preventive Medicine Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Professional Committee. Primary Health Management Standards for Dyslipidemia[J]. Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 2021, 21(2): 105-112.