You know what would be nice? If people in this country were half as charged up about what’s going on in American politics as they are about the supposed “dangers” of eggs.
But I’ll say this: The American Egg Board is as poorly organized as the Democratic Party. I’ve been so overwhelmed by emails, texts, and smoke signals over this new “study” slandering eggs that I had to drop everything to write this.
That’s right — it simply couldn’t wait. And once you hear the details —you’ll understand why.
Correlation is not causation
Let’s cut straight to the nonsense: This stupid study linked eating 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol with a 17 percent higher risk of developing heart disease, and an 18 percent higher risk of death from any cause.
More specifically, it linked eating three to four eggs a week with a 6 percent higher risk of developing heart disease and an 8 percent higher risk of dying from any cause.
Researchers arrived at these results by analyzing the eating habits and health patterns of a cross-section of nearly 30,000 U.S. adults over the course of several years. And while researchers accounted for a number of so-called confounding factors, let me point out the first major problem with their incredibly dubious conclusions.
As I’ve pointed out before, “observational” studies are the least conclusive type of all studies. And the simple fact is that “observational” studies DO NOT establish cause and effect — only correlation.
By the same logic, I could conclude that 100 percent of the participants in this study are “compulsive breathers” — thereby affirming that breathing is linked to high cholesterol.
I wish that was a joke, folks — but I’m dead serious. Correlation is obviously not causation. It would be foolish to revise U.S. dietary guidelines based on any one single study, so there’s certainly no reason to do so based on this “observational” one.
But just wait for it… Because according to the vice chair of the advisory committee in charge of forming those U.S. dietary guidelines, “This is the most comprehensive study we have to date.”
Please, folks — get a grip! If this is really the best research we’ve got, then we are in serious trouble. And such statements are exactly why I ignore anything that comes down from the powers-that-be.
The fact is, I knew this was bound to happen…
Everyone should have seen it coming. Why? Because U.S. egg consumption is on the rise. And that means that every last food lobby with a stake in the low-fat lie is now quaking in their boots!
Dietary deflection at its finest
Another catch: The dietary information these researchers used came from questionnaires, which are notoriously unreliable. These questionnaires ask you to remember exactly what you ate over a prolonged period of time. (I often quiz my patients about what they ate just one or two days before their visit, and in many cases, they can’t remember.) It’s just not realistic.
But believe me, there’s a lot more to criticize here than the flawed and inconclusive design of the study.
Like the fact that your body produces 80 percent of your cholesterol, leaving a mere 20 percent to come from the food you eat. Honestly, this was a closed case. Are we really going to rehash it all over again?!
Well, it sure looks like it. Because if you read deeper into this study, it appears as if the researchers want to reopen the debate about dietary cholesterol in general. And you have to wonder why…
(Maybe Big Pharma is worried that their statin drugs aren’t raking in the dough like they used to. But that’s just one guess among many — you can take your pick.)
All I know is that clearly, something’s amiss. Because aside from the issues I’ve already discussed, this finding is still totally inconsistent with the latest research showing zero association between eggs and heart disease risk.
In fact, a slew of recent studies (like this one, this one, and this one) show that egg consumption can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
So if there’s any reasonable explanation about this study’s crazy conclusions, it’s that researchers chose to focus only on the amount of eggs subjects were eating, when it’s just as important—if not more— to pay attention to food quality.
Our food supply is horribly damaged and dysfunctional — from its herbicide- and pesticide-laden cash crops, to its inhumane and unsanitary factory farms. And that’s the only reason an otherwise healthful, whole food might harm us.
But here’s the real truth: Eggs from pastured, organic hens that are free to roam and forage are quite possibly the perfect food — providing incredible nutrition and the ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
And red meat from happy, grass-fed and finished cows is healthier than some heavily processed soy protein tofurkey burger any day of the week.
Meanwhile, practically all of the “food” that Americans eat out of cans, boxes, and bags is bad for them, as a matter of research-proven fact. But heaven forbid we stop consuming any of that. So instead, we get another cooked-up egg controversy — the Big Food equivalent of shouting “Lock her up!”
This is actual “fake news,” folks. I’m not buying it — and neither should you. Now, excuse me while I go make my three-egg frittata.
P.S. Join me as “crack down” on more mainstream myths, as I walk you through dozens and dozens of disease-fighting breakthroughs this Sunday, March 24th at 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time in my exclusive Conquer Your Disease Masterclass. Space is limited, so click here to reserve your spot today!
Source:
“Three or more eggs a week increase your risk of heart disease and early death, study says.” CNN, 03/15/19. (cnn.com/2019/03/15/health/eggs-cholesterol-heart-disease-study/index.html)