Is it going to be a cholesterol fiesta for the millions of people who have been shunning eggs, shellfish and red meat all of these years? In a stunning change of events, dietary food experts are set to reverse their decades-long recommendations about avoiding cholesterol that comes from food. Despite 40 years of grave warnings over the potential for clogged arteries and heart disease stemming from eating foods rich in cholesterol, scientists now say that there is not enough evidence to tell people to stay away from foods such as egg yolks and lobster.
But before you throw down at the nearest Brazilian steak house, laughing as you ingest pounds of bacon and beef without a care in the world, it is important to note that the food experts still say it is a good idea to limit one’s intake of saturated and trans fats. Most meat is high in both. Maybe there will not be a cholesterol fiesta after all.
However, it is good news for those who enjoy certain foods high in cholesterol that they had been avoiding. Egg white omelets never did have the same appeal as a full-fat egg, and what is a holiday without loads of steamed shrimp cocktail? According to the new guidelines about to drop, those pleasures may now be in reach once again.
After a thorough review of the evidence, experts have concluded that data showing a link between dietary cholesterol and heart disease is insufficient to tell people to avoid certain foods. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that eating more cholesterol makes blood cholesterol decline in most people. That may be why those who follow the Atkins diet and other low-carb eating plans rich in red meat often enjoy plummeting cholesterol levels.
The new recommendations represent a good example of how science can change over time, and how long it takes to establish a firm link between concepts being studied. That is why meta analyses are so important when it comes to determining what is fact and what is an anomaly. For example, when scientists first started examining cigarettes, some studies showed no link between smoking and lung cancer. Now, a causal link has been firmly established, but it took many, many years to etch the results in stone.
Will it be a cholesterol fiesta for you now that the guidelines are going to be revised? Write in and tell us what foods you plan to begin eating again.
Photo credit: Flickr.com