The Consumption Of Cholesterol Or Egg In The Diet Does Not Increase The Risk of Stroke

The findings of previous studies that address the association of dietary cholesterol or egg ingestion with the risk of stroke have been contradictory. Some studies have found an association between high consumption of dietary cholesterol and an increased risk of stroke, while others have been associated with egg consumption. For most people, dietary cholesterol plays a very small role in serum cholesterol levels. However, in carriers of phenotype 4 of apolipoprotein E, which improved cholesterol metabolism, the effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol levels is higher. In Finland, the prevalence of APOE4, which is a hereditary variant, is exceptionally high, with one third of the population presenting as carriers. However, research data on the association between a high consumption of dietary cholesterol and the risk of stroke in this population group have not been available so far.

Dietary habits of 1,950 men between 42 and 60 years without a reference diagnosis of a cardiovascular disease are evaluated at the beginning of the Study of risk factors for heart disease. The APOE phenotype data are available for 1,015 of the men participating in the study. Of these, 32% were known carriers of APOE4.

1 During a 21-year follow-up, 217 men are diagnosed with a stroke. The study has to do with the consumption of cholesterol in the diet and the consumption of eggs was associated with the risk of stroke, not even in the carriers of APOE4.

The findings are related to the risk of stroke, even in people genetically predisposed to a greater effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol levels. In the highest control group, the study participants had an average daily cholesterol intake of 5 mg and consumed an average egg per day, which means that the results cannot be generalized beyond these levels. An egg contains approximately 200 mg of cholesterol. In this study, about a quarter of the total dietary cholesterol consumed came from the eggs. In addition, the generalization of this study has also been weakened by the fact that the study population did not have a preexisting cardiovascular disease at the start of the study and the size of the study population was relatively small. Therefore, the findings of the study should be verified in a larger cohort, as well as in people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, who are currently recommended to limit the consumption of cholesterol and eggs.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190520093448.htm