The Shocking TRUTH about Eggs and Heart Disease | Dr. William Li

today I'm going to talk about eggs and what you need to know before you eat them first there are lots of misconceptions about eggs and I want you to know that eggs are a healthy food they are a great source of protein and if they're high quality eggs they also provide bioactives called carotenoids that are beneficial for your vision and eggs which used to be thought of being harmful to your heart actually have proven benefits uh for heart health in this video Dr Lee will be exposing the shocking truths about eggs and heart disease that

you may not know but that's not all he'll also explain how the nutrients and eggs impact heart health and share tips on how to identify and choose the healthiest type of egg so make sure to watch until the end so you don't miss any essential details but first are eggs really linked to heart disease or is this just a misconception let's dive into the relationship between eggs and heart health to find out it's true that eggs are high in cholesterol but study after study after study have shown that the people who are eating eggs don't

actually have high levels of harmful cholesterol all right in fact what they have they have better levels of good healthy cholesterol all right so one clinical study from the University of Connecticut looked at 38 young healthy men and women people aged 18 to 30 years old and they gave them either one or two or three eggs to eat per day for four weeks and uh what they found is that egg eaters actually had better good HDL cholesterol up about 133% all right and this created a healthier lipid profile for years people have been cautious about

eating eggs due to their high cholesterol content fearing it might raise the risk of heart disease but the question is how does cholesterol actually contribute to heart issues you see the problem starts when high levels of low density lipoprotein or bad LDL cholesterol build up in the bloodstream LDL can penetrate arterial walls causing inflammation and damage over time this triggers plaque formation a sticky fatty substance that clogs the arteries and restricts blood flow to the heart as the arteries narrow blood pressure Rises making the heart work harder and eventually leading to Heart strain or cardiac

fatigue ruptured plaques can also release harmful clots which can block key blood vessels and Trigger heart attacks or Strokes the excessive LDL cholesterol equally disrupts the endothelium which is the delicate in lining of blood vessels reducing its ability to relax and expand this impairs the production of nitric oxide an essential molecule for keeping blood vessels flexible as a result blood vessels become stiff and more prone to damage however Dr Lee points out that research shows eating eggs doesn't necessarily lead to high levels of harmful cholesterol in fact egg consumption is often associated with better levels

of good cholesterol and a healthier lipid profile but how is this possible well the secret lies in the egg's unique balance of fatty acids proteins and micronutrients you see eggs are a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids plus dietary cholesterol from eggs doesn't directly translate to higher blood cholesterol because the body naturally adjusts its own cholesterol production based on dietary intake in fact egg yolks contain choline a nutrient that promotes the production of good HDL cholesterol and helps reduce bad LDL cholesterol this combination makes eggs beneficial for a healthy blood fat profile choline

also reduces the absorption of dietary cholesterol minimizing its impact on blood levels but there's another powerful heart boost boosting compound in eggs that often goes unmentioned let's hear from Dr Lee about this compound and how it benefits heart health but before we continue please note that this content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment always consult with a qualified healthc care provider before making any changes to your diet or taking new supplements uh and um having Marine omega-3 fatty acids that come from plankton well eggs

can have them as well and here's how that works well if the hen that lays the healthy eggs are raised cagefree they're free range and they're actually eating Natural Foods meaning they're pasture fed the natural seeds that the uh chicken the hen eats actually converts uh uh the substances and the seeds into omega-3 fatty acids that winds up building up in their eggs all right so you are what your your hen eight when it comes to eggs healthier raised hens also just have better overall health which means your eggs are going to be healthy as

well right think about prenatal care for humans you get prenatal care for hens as well at some point we might have heard that omega-3 fatty acids support heart health but how do eggs fit into this here's the breakdown when hens are raised in a cage-free freerange environment and eat a natural pasture-based diet they convert new nutrients from seeds into heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids this happens because the seeds and plants they eat are rich in alphal linolenic acid or ala a building block of Omega-3s so how do omega-3 fatty acids and eggs benefit the heart

when consumed Omega-3s especially eicosapentanoic acid EPA and doosa hexanoic acid DHA become part of the membranes in your cells making them more Flex fible and better at receiving positive signals this helps reduce inflammation a key contributor to heart disease additionally Omega-3s improve blood vessel function making them more relaxed and open this allows blood to flow more smoothly lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease this is super important because high blood pressure can lead to heart failure kidney disease and stroke Omega 3s also help prevent dangerous clotting by reducing the stickiness of platelets

preventing them from clumping together and causing heart attacks or Strokes in addition to their anti-inflammatory and blood thinning effects Omega-3s also raise levels of good HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides improving your lipid profile and making it healthier this is important because high triglycerides can increase the risk of heart disease and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels helps prevent conditions like atherosclerosis where plaque builds up in the arteries however the benefits of Omega-3s go even further as they help repair damaged blood vessels keeping the heart strong and resilient this is particularly important for those already with heart disease

as Omega-3s can slow its progression but with all these health benefits from consuming eggs why were they linked to heart disease in the first place let's find out how it all started but before we proceed if you're looking to dive deeper into how diet can protect your heart and boost your overall health be sure to subscribe to the QuickTime newsletter linked below each week we share expert back tips delicious recipes and actionable steps to help you live longer and feel your best delivered right to your inbox where was this idea that eggs are not healthy

uh coming from how did that actually even happen well I like to bust myths and some of the myth busting comes from actually understanding the historical context all right so let's go back way back in the time machine to the 1970s and it turned out that some of the studies that led to the thinking that egg eating was harmful to the heart had to do with the fact that we didn't know much about cholesterol we didn't know about LDL and HDL we just all thought cholesterol is cholesterol we didn't know that there were there was

good cholesterol so that wasn't even being measured in the studies all right and what I told you was that eating eggs actually raises good cholesterol without raising the bad cholesterol let's rewind to the 1970s a time when our understanding of cholesterol was still evolving back then research was limited and scientists didn't yet know how to differentiate between bad LDL cholesterol and good HDL cholesterol without this key distinction studies from that time often gave an incomplete view of how dietary cholesterol affects heart health eggs being naturally high in cholesterol were often singled out as a potential

cause of heart disease however here's the catch eating eggs can actually raise good HDL cholesterol levels without significantly affecting bad LDL cholesterol levels here's a simpler explanation the cholesterol in eggs doesn't automatically lead to higher cholesterol levels in our bodies Our livers produce cholesterol based on what we need so when we eat more cholesterol from foods like eggs the liver just produces less to keep things balanced however the idea that eggs contribute to heart disease around for decades because of the limited understanding of cholesterol at the time but the good news is that recent research

has brought new insights into this issue the key lies in the concept of dietary balance when eaten as part of a well-rounded diet that includes plenty of fruits vegetables whole grains and lean proteins eggs can actually support a heart healthy lifestyle here's the breakdown earlier studies often focused on individual foods like eggs without considering the overall diet today we understand the importance of looking at the big picture how all the foods we eat work together but that's not all Dr Lee will explain another reason why the egg studies from the 1970s is were inaccurate the

other thing that tied the early studies from the 1970s to increased heart disease is they were studying the researchers were studying people that were eating eggs for breakfast but guess what these people eating eggs for breakfast are also eating bacon and sausage and Butters and cereals with added sugars and also Ultra processed foods and we know all of those other things actually can increase your risk for heart disease and eggs got thrown under the bus all right so we're they were focusing on the eggs but they didn't realize all this other stuff that the people

were eating was contributing to heart disease and they blamed it on the egg all right so that's really a case of mistaken identity and it just shows you how important it is um to actually be focus on the right thing and to have enough knowledge when you're conducting a research study so you don't make a misinterpretation of the information while people in the egg studies did eat eggs for breakfast they also had foods like bacon sausage butter sugary cereals and processed foods things that are known to raise the risk of heart disease so what went

wrong researchers focused on eggs but they overlooked the harmful effects of the other Foods people were eating with them in reality eggs got unfairly blamed for heart disease when it was the unhealthy foods eaten along with eggs that were the real problem the issue is that our diets are complicated and it's hard to tell how one food affects our health therefore the key is to look at the whole diet not just blame one food for health problems nevertheless Recent research shows that when eggs are part of a balanced diet they can lead to Better Health

this is because eggs are packed with high quality protein essential vitamins and minerals now let's explore the three tips Dr Lee recommends to help you get the most out of eating eggs so how do you get the most out of eating eggs I'm going to give you three Pro tips all right first tip buy organic eggs from hens that are pasture rais all right they going to be a little bit more expensive but they're also going to be more beneficial they got more beneficial Omega-3s they got more carotenoids and other types of bioactives like choline

go for the good stuff right as mentioned earlier organic pasture raised eggs offer significantly higher nutritional value hens that roam freely and forage on grasses insects and seeds produce eggs that are richer in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids carotenoids and bioactive like choline this natural diet helps enrich their eggs with essential nutrients for example omega-3 fatty acids are essential for heart health and brain function while carotenoids act as as antioxidants protecting against cell damage and inflammation choline another important nutrient supports brain function metabolism and Liver Health in contrast conventionally raised hens are often kept in crowded

cages fed grain-based diets and given antibiotics as a result their eggs tend to have lower omega-3 levels higher saturated fat content and a higher risk of antibiotic resistance now now buying organic eggs is a great choice but how do you identify them from the start here's what Dr Lee recommends now how would you know if an egg is actually particularly healthy well here's something that you might not know when I grew up I ate eggs that when you cracked them open into a bowl the yolks were bright yellow like the Sun but it turns out

that the healthy pasture raised uh pasture fed hens when you crack their eggs the yolk is orange red it's it's like the blood moon as opposed to the bright yellow sun and that uh that blood moon that red orange pigment that comes from kid so you know did you know that the healthiest eggs don't have bright yellow yolks but rather a rich orange red color like a Blood Moon this unique Hue is a clear sign that the eggs come from pasture raised pasture-fed hens the reason for this vibrant color lies in carotenoids which are the

powerful antioxidants responsible for the orange red pigment carotenoids are abundant in grasses insects and seeds which make up the natural diet of pasture raised hens as these hens forage they gather carotenoids which end up in their eggs giving the yolks that distinctive orange red color in contrast conventionally raised hens are typically fed grain-based diets that don't have the same variety of carotenoids their eggs will typically have brighter yellow yolks indic ating lower carotenoid content so where can you easily purchase healthier eggs let's find out what Dr Lee recommends tip number two if you can get

farm raised eggs okay from a farmer or you can get eggs from a friend who raises chickens and treats them humanely they're going to be the freshest you don't have to transport them very far and they're going to be the best because you know who actually raised them all right getting eggs from a trusted Source ensures you're getting the freshest highest quality egg while supporting Humane and sustainable farming practices by buying directly from a farmer or a friend you skip the middlemen and reduce Transportation related stress which can affect the quality of the eggs commercially

produced eggs on the other hand often travel long distances and go through various handling and storage processes that can reduce freshness increase the risk of contamination and lower their nutritional value however farm-raised eggs from a reliable source offer numerous benefits including Superior freshness with eggs often collected daily and Humane treatment of chickens which improves both their welfare and the quality of the eggs to find farm- raised eggs you can check out local farmers markets or Farm stands join a community supported agriculture CSA program or simply ask friends family or co-workers where they get their eggs

many farmers also offer farm tours or egg collecting experiences giving you a great chance chance to learn about sustainable farming practices and connect with the people who produce your food now here's a fun fact did you know you might not need to refrigerate organic farm-raised eggs when you buy them listen to what Dr Lee has to say about it and by the way farm- raised eggs uh eggs coming from a neighbor they might not even need to be in the refrigerator does that surprise you it surprised me when I first learned that and here's the

thing I grew up you know with eggs always in a refrigerator in in fact when I went go to the grocery store I would go to the refrigerated section to buy eggs right who doesn't think about that well when I started doing my research on food is medicine in Europe I would go to the you know the Fresh Markets The Village markets and the thing one of the things that really surprised me is that all these eggs are piled up and sold just at room temperature in fact sometimes the markets were in hot weather and

they were not refrigerator and I was scratching my head saying how could that be isn't that dangerous well so here's something really amazing that I want to share with you when you actually have hens that are naturally raised and eggs that are taken to the market right shortly after they're laid um outside of a factory by the way what happens is that the egg uh gets a natural coating as the hen squeezes out the egg It Coats the egg the entire outside of an egg with a natural bacterial resistant coating all right now think about

it in a a naturally raised chicken is going to be uh laying eggs into a nest Nest is not refrigerated and there's bacteria in there um and that's why this coating this antibacterial coating natural antibacterial coating is provided by the mom by the hand all right now when you actually you bring those eggs right to the market and then buy them and bring them to your home guess what you can keep them on the counter for even a couple of weeks and they're going to be fine you don't need to put them in the refrigerator

with that in mind always remember to get the most out of eggs by enjoying them alongside other healthy foods like healthy fats vegetables whole grains and legumes also be sure to eat them in moderation if you have any cardiovascular issues such as heart problems it's a good idea to consult with your doctor before adding eggs to your diet that said consuming eggs will not increase your risk of heart disease when part of a balance healthy diet to get more of Dr Lee's recommendations click the video showing on your screen right now to discover the five

fruits that can help fight cancer and reduce inflammation as recommended by Dr William Lee see you there