Eggs: A case for inclusion in dietary guidelines?
The September 2014 issue of the British Nutrition Foundation’s Nutrition Bulletin included an article on a conference held at the Royal Society of Medicine entitled ‘Dietary guidelines: Scientific substantiation and public health impact’ on Thursday 27 March 2014. Below is an overview of the presentations from one of the speakers.
Professor Bruce Griffin from the University of Surrey presented a case to support the inclusion of eggs in dietary guidelines, by examining their nutrient density and association with risk of CVD. Dietary recommendations have historically restricted the consumption of eggs on the grounds that their cholestrol content produced a clinically significant increase in serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholestrol, thus raising the risk of CVD. UK dietary guidelines have now been revised to lift the limit on the consumption of eggs and other foods containing dietary cholestrol, such as shellfish. However, the US dietary guidelines specify a maximum recommendation of 300 mg/day in those with raised serum control cholestrol and existing CVD or diabetes (U.S. Department of Agriculture & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010). Guidelines from the American Heart Association state that target intakes for dietary cholestrol should be achieved by the restriction of foods that are typically high in saturated fatty acids, but without the need to exclude eggs or shellfish (Krauss et al. 2000).