By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

CHICAGO, Ill. — The egg and dairy industries are the subject of continually seesawing reports on their health benefit or detriment. The latest on eggs is a report by Northwestern Medicine, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that suggests their consumption can lead to increased risks of heart disease.

According to the report, consuming 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day – about 1.5 eggs – leads to a 17 percent higher risk of heart disease and an 18 percent higher risk of death over people who consume less cholesterol. The study also determined that eating just 3-4 eggs per week corresponds to a 6 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eat two eggs per day, and you increase your risk of cardiovascular disease by a whopping 27 percent.

“These new findings may rekindle the debate about the role of dietary cholesterol and egg consumption in cardiovascular disease, but would not change general healthy eating guidelines that emphasize increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes and lowering consumption of red and processed meats and sugar,” said Dr. Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

The official recommendation in the United States before 2015 was that people should limit their daily egg consumption to no more than 300 mgs. The more recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-20, however, no longer provide limits on dietary cholesterol and egg intake. They include weekly intake of eggs as part of a healthful diet.

“For those who are generally healthy, low to moderate intake of eggs can be included as part of a healthy eating pattern, but they are not essential,” noted Hu. “For example, there is a range of other foods one can choose for a variety of healthful breakfasts, such as whole grain toast with nut butter, fresh fruits, and plain yogurt.”

A previous Harvard study, which touted the benefits of eggs, stated it’s not eggs, but other dietary and lifestyle choices, that are the problem. "Egg consumption was positively associated with smoking, lower physical activity, and a generally unhealthy eating pattern,” the report noted.

The Northwestern report also clashes with a statement posted on Northwestern Medicine's own website that promotes eggs as part of a healthy diet. It reads, in part: “Not only are they accessible and affordable for most people, they are a high quality source of nutrients that can be incorporated into meals in a number of ways ... Eggs contain as many as 18 different proteins, vitamins and minerals …

“Many people assume that eggs have a high amount of bad cholesterol. However, recent research has shown that eggs have a much lower cholesterol content than previously attributed and healthy adults can enjoy eggs without impacting their risk of heart disease."

"The inconsistency of (the Northwestern) study with that of other recent studies demonstrates the importance of additional research to further explore this area, including the need to understand the unique contribution of eggs as part of healthy eating patterns set forth in the dietary guidelines for Americans,” said Mickey Rubin, executive director of the American Egg Board's Egg Nutrition Center.

"The fact that (other studies) appear to show favorable relationships with egg intake and cardiovascular risk may speak to the importance of what other foods are consumed with eggs as part of the overall diet pattern, as recent research has demonstrated the importance of separating eggs from other foods to understand their independent impact on health outcomes.”

Dueling dairy studies

The most recent drawback on dairy comes from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which came out to say milk and dairy products “are the top sources of artery-clogging saturated fat in the American diet.”

It purports that regular consumption of dairy “has been linked to prostate cancer. Dairy is also associated with increased risk of lung cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer in people with lactose intolerance.”

This contradicts American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) findings that state there is no evidence of a correlation between the two. “Many individual studies have found links – both increasing and decreasing risk – between dairy and cancer,” it said in a statement.

“Patients and survivors are confused about whether to include dairy in their diet, and this is one of the most frequently asked questions we get ... AICR does not have a specific recommendation on dairy foods, but based on the overall evidence and because these foods can provide important nutrients, they can fit in a cancer-protective diet.”

In a 2016 study of the impact of dairy on cardiovascular disease, Hu – who authored it – found there are some positive correlations between the two, but the report found that various foods including full-fat dairy milk, yogurt, butter, cheeses, and cream were not found to increase heart disease risk (compared to a background diet that typically contains high amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugars).

However, the study also determined these foods were not found to decrease risk, either.

“These results suggest that dairy fat is not an optimal type of fat in our diets,” said Hu. “Although one can enjoy moderate amounts of full-fat dairy such as cheese, a healthy diet pattern tends to be plant-based and low in saturated fat.

“These results strongly support existing recommendations to choose mainly unsaturated fats from vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, and some oily fish for a heart-healthy diet.”

Vasanti Malik, M.Sc., a colleague of Hu’s at Harvard but not a part of the 2016 study, concurred. “Dairy isn’t necessary in the diet for optimal health, but for many people, it is the easiest way to get the calcium, vitamin D, and protein they need to keep their heart, muscles, and bones healthy and functioning properly.”