As of: March 28, 2024, 5:48 p.m
By: Andreas Beez
Comments
Press
Split
In the Easter egg dispute, Munich's top doctor Prof. Hans Hauner is receiving support from heart specialists. The Heart Foundation raises awareness about cholesterol.
Munich - The debate about the one-egg rule of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) continues to heat up people's minds. Now the renowned German Heart Foundation has also commented. Your assessment reinforces the assessment of Munich's top doctor and nutritionist Professor Hans Hauner, who called for the one-egg rule to be disposed of in the organic waste bin.
Professor Ulrich Laufs from the German Heart Foundation: Individual foods have little influence on cholesterol levels
Cardiologist Professor Dr. Ulrich Laufs is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Heart Foundation. © Stefan Straube
Regarding the debate about the cholesterol content of eggs and their alleged danger to health, Professor Ulrich Laufs from the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Heart Foundation explains: “This concern is unfounded. The cholesterol content of an individual food has little influence on the cholesterol level in the blood. Essentially, cholesterol metabolism is genetically determined, inherited from the family.”
If you only live out of the deep fryer and sit in front of a screen, changing your lifestyle through more exercise, reducing weight and eating a very fatty diet can lead to a reduction in LDL cholesterol by 20 to 30 percent.
Professor Dr. Ulrich Laufs from the German Heart Foundation
You can find even more exciting health topics in the free 24vita newsletter, which you can subscribe to right here.
Easter egg dispute: In addition to health, DGE also takes into account ecological factors such as CO2 emissions and land use
Criticism of the DGE's one-egg rule: Professor Hans Hauner is one of Germany's most renowned nutritionists. He describes eggs as a “valuable food.” © TU Munich
also read
Adjuvant chemotherapy for Princess Kate – which types of cancer are possible
Prevent dementia: This food protects brain health
The expert dispute over Easter eggs broke out after a new recommendation from the DGE, which was published this month. The main point here is that, according to the findings of numerous studies, a predominantly plant-based diet is significantly healthier than a diet containing many animal products, especially sausages and red meat. As a result, the expert panel gives the rule of thumb that you should not eat more than 300 grams of red meat from beef, pork or lamb and no more than one egg per week. When it comes to the one-egg rule, the DGE also uses ecological aspects as its argument. When eating eggs, chicken farming must also be taken into account with a view to CO2 emissions and land use. The Munich nutritionist Hauner cannot understand this point of view.
Heart Professor Laufs: By changing your lifestyle, LDL cholesterol can be reduced by 20 to 30 percent
How eggs affect cholesterol levels in detail cannot be scientifically answered precisely, "because cholesterol intake depends very much on the rest of the diet and other factors," says the Heart Foundation expert Professor Lauf, who works as chief cardiologist at the Leipzig University Hospital. The food is not completely irrelevant, but it depends on the “initial state”, as Laufs explains using the extreme example of the couch potato: “If you only live out of the deep fryer and sit in front of a screen, a change in lifestyle will result in more Exercise, by reducing weight and eating a very high-fat diet can lead to a reduction in LDL cholesterol by 20 to 30 percent.”
Currywurst with fries from the deep fryer should not be eaten too often for health reasons. © Schoening/IMAGO
The truth about cholesterol levels: Only a third of cholesterol comes from food
Blood cholesterol levels are primarily regulated by the liver and not by the intestines and diet. The body only absorbs a third of cholesterol through food. Two thirds of the blood fat is produced by the liver itself. Against this background, the heart specialist Laufs emphasizes: “If you eat a balanced diet overall and otherwise maintain a healthy lifestyle, an egg for breakfast at the weekend or eating several eggs at Easter will have little effect on your cholesterol level.”
Elevated levels of LDL cholesterol increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and thrombosis
However, it is undisputed that elevated cholesterol levels are one of the biggest risk factors for serious vascular diseases with fatal consequences such as heart attack, aortic aneurysm, stroke or thrombosis. LDL cholesterol plays the key role here. The English abbreviation stands for Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. It fuels - often in combination with other risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking - the formation of deposits (plaques) and inflammatory processes on the vessel walls. This can cause vascular blockages in a chain reaction.
Statins lower elevated cholesterol levels
When cholesterol levels are too high and options through lifestyle changes have been exhausted, doctors can help with a number of very effective medications. These include statins, which millions of people take every day. According to Professor Laufs from the Heart Foundation, the benefits are great. Newer medications that are administered as an injection can also help.