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So far, many people think that egg yolk is very bad for the heart. Too much and often eat egg yolks can cause heart disease. In fact, to avoid this, many people only eat the egg whites and throw away the egg yolks. However, is egg yolk really that bad for your heart health? Is egg yolk good for your heart?
Benefits of the content in egg yolks for the heart
Egg yolks can indeed contribute to cholesterol levels in the blood, if the levels are too high in the blood it can interfere with your heart health. However, the impact of consuming egg yolks on blood cholesterol levels is not as bad as if you eat foods that contain saturated fats and trans fats.
In addition, the content of other nutrients in egg yolks can actually protect heart health. One of the nutrients that egg yolks contain and are useful in protecting your heart is choline.
Choline is a nutrient that is known to aid in the development of the brain and nervous system. Not only that, choline can also help protect your heart. Choline is related to homocysteine levels in the blood, where if the homocysteine level in the blood increases, the risk of heart disease will also increase. High homocysteine levels in the blood can promote the development of atherosclerosis and thrombogenesis, which leads to heart disease.
Well, choline helps the body reduce homocysteine levels in the blood by converting it into an amino acid the body needs, called methionine. In particular, choline is a precursor that provides a methyl group for converting homocysteine to methionine. With the presence of choline, the levels of homocysteine in the blood can be controlled and do not increase, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
Apart from choline, egg yolks also contain other nutrients that play a role in improving your health. For example, the content of lutein and zeaxanthin are good for eye health, as well as various vitamins such as vitamins A, B, and D which play a role in regulating the body's metabolism.
How much consumption of egg yolk is ideal?
Although there have been many studies that say that egg yolks are not associated with heart disease. But for those of you with high cholesterol levels, you still have to be careful about eating egg yolks. It's different if you have normal cholesterol levels, consuming eggs every day will not have a bad impact on your heart.
According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture, one large egg contains about 186 mg of cholesterol, all of which is found in egg yolks. For people with heart disease and diabetes, you are advised to limit the consumption of egg yolks to a maximum of three egg yolks a week.
Meanwhile, for those of you who are healthy, you can eat egg yolks up to seven times per week without worrying about the risk of heart disease.
You may want to know the recommended daily limits for cholesterol intake to take into consideration before you eat foods that contain cholesterol, such as egg yolks.
- If you are healthy, the recommended cholesterol intake is no more than 300 mg per day.
- If you have high cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes, the recommended cholesterol intake is no more than 200 mg per day.
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