New research has found a food that can raise the levels of healthy metabolites in the blood that are good for the heart.

Eggs are high in dietary cholesterol, but they also contain a number of vital nutrients. There is conflicting research about whether eating eggs is good or bad for your heart.

A 2018 study published in the journal Heart indicated that people who ate eggs daily (roughly one egg per day) had a significantly decreased risk of heart disease and stroke than those who ate eggs less often. T

o better understand this link, the authors of this study conducted a population-based study to see how egg consumption affects blood markers of cardiovascular health.

Pan and his colleagues chose 4,778 people from the China Kadoorie Biobank, 3,401 of whom had cardiovascular disease and 1,377 of whom did not. They measured 225 metabolites in plasma samples collected from the individuals’ blood using a technique called targeted nuclear magnetic resonance. They found 24 metabolites that were linked to self-reported egg intake levels among these metabolites.

Their findings revealed that people who ate a moderate number of eggs had greater amounts of a protein called apolipoprotein A1 in their blood, which is a component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), generally known as ‘good lipoprotein.’ These people had a higher concentration of big HDL molecules in their blood, which helps eliminate cholesterol from blood vessels and prevent blockages that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

In addition, the researchers discovered 14 metabolites associated with cardiac disease. They discovered that those who ate fewer eggs had lower levels of good metabolites and higher amounts of detrimental metabolites in their blood than those who ate eggs more frequently.

These findings “provide a potential explanation for how eating a moderate amount of eggs can help protect against heart disease,” said the authors, adding “More studies are needed to verify the causal roles that lipid metabolites play in the association between egg consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

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