Oh boy... here we go again! Another example of junk science and
clueless "researchers" that clearly don't understand one thing about
nutritional biochemistry.
In case you missed the headlines,
several popular news websites published an article last week with
headlines claiming that eating eggs is just as bad for you as smoking
for your health and gives you clogged arteries. I refuse to even link
to these flawed articles, because they were the biggest heap of garbage
I've seen in journalism in years!
But let's dig in and see why these articles and this supposed "study" were 100% flawed...
The
first problem with this supposed "study", is that it was not really a
study at all... it was actually a SURVEY based on people's self-reported
habits. This is drastically different from a controlled clinical
study, in which all variables are accounted for and controlled.
The
major problem with this "study" (survey) is that there is absolutely no
control over isolating variables. For example, even though egg yolk
eaters self reported that they ate more egg yolks than non egg eaters or
egg white eaters, there's no control to tell us whether they also did
other things that were the real culprits of their artery problems, such
as a lifetime of eating trans fats (quite likely), smoking, drinking
excessively, drug use, a high sugar intake or high intake of
inflammatory breads, refined oils, or stress levels.
Or what
about the fact that the average person that doesn't really care about
their health probably eats those eggs with waffles, pancakes, fake maple
syrup (corn syrup), breads, or other health-deteriorating refined grain
foods such as sugary cereals, bagels, or muffins, all of which are
known to negatively affect your triglyceride and LDL levels, as well as
pack on body fat through disrupting blood sugar and insulin balance.
I
mean, we aren't talking about the types of people that read this
newsletter and most likely eat their healthy egg breakfast with loads of
veggies, avocado, and grass-fed organic sausage, washed down with some
antioxidant-rich green tea. Hmm, are you starting to see the flaws with
this "study".
In addition, since egg yolks have been so wrongly
vilified over the years, and the majority of the population still
falsely thinks they are unhealthy, it's quite likely that egg yolk
avoiders are also the types of people that exercise more, drink more
tea, avoid sugar and trans fat, or eat more vegetables, just simply
because they are health conscious... In that example, it isn't the fact
that those people avoid eggs that's leading to their good health...it's
the fact that they exercise more and eat more veggies, teas, and other
antioxidants, and avoid sugar and trans fat.
Yet these so-called "researchers" who don't know a thing about nutrition clearly did not discuss those factors.
My friend, and well respected nutrition author and researcher, Mark Sisson (author of The Primal Leap), recently pointed out a few real studies (not surveys) that show the healthfulness of whole eggs..
Here's what Mark had to say...
"For
fun, though, let’s look at what some other studies have found with
regards to the artery-clogging capabilities of whole eggs:
Egg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial.
Two eggs daily did not impair endothelial function (the flow of blood
through the arteries), nor did it increase total or LDL cholesterol.
Overall, eating two eggs a day elicited no change in cardiovascular
health when compared to eating oatmeal (a cardiologist’s pride and joy).
Daily egg consumption in hyperlipidemic adults – effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk. In patients with high cholesterol, eating several hard-boiled eggs a day had no effect on endothelial function.
Effect
of a high-saturated fat and no-starch diet on serum lipid subfractions
in patients with documented atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Obese patients with heart disease ate lots of saturated fat, zero starch
(including zero grains – sound familiar?), and tons of vegetables, and
saw massive weight loss without any negative effects on their blood
lipids. Once upon a time, I had access to the full study (it was freely
available at the website for the Mayo Clinic, who’s since taken it
down…wonder why), and I remember seeing that they ate three or four eggs
a day. If egg yolks were bad for all heart disease patients, these guys
would have felt the effects."
Very interesting huh!
Of
course, if you've read my newsletter for a long time, I'm hoping that
you already knew all of this, and you would have rolled your eyes upon
seeing these egg yolk bashing articles knowing immediately that they
were junk science.
With that said, I'm hoping that you've already
read my article below, and even if you have read it already, please
pass it along to your friends and family, who are most likely, more
confused than ever about eggs.
Why egg yolks are healthier for you than egg whites
Unfortunately,
most of the population has still not gotten this message, as I just
recently observed this past weekend while traveling, and watching
multiple people each day order egg white omelets instead of real
omelets.
Well, at least YOU know the REAL truth, and you can
continue to nourish your body with all of the powerful nutrients found
in egg yolks... and of course, always make sure to seek out
pasture-raised eggs, or at least eggs from hens that were fed a diverse
diet of something other than corn and soy. Even the eggs from hens with
flax or algae meal added to their diet are an improvement on standard
corn and soy fed chicken eggs.
Please fwd this email to all of
your friends and family to help them better understand true nutrition
instead of the junk science that the media likes to keep putting out
there.
Lastly, make sure to continue to educate yourself on nutrition by making sure you have a copy of my Fat-Burning Kitchen book.
Also, make sure to follow what highly-respected nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios teaches here:
4 foods to NEVER eat - if you want a flat stomach
Talk to you soon,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer