Researcher Claims ‘Egg Yolk Almost As Dangerous As Smoking’?

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

A researcher from the University of Western Ontario published a new research study showing that eating eggs, specifically egg yolks can exacerbate atherosclerosis - coronary artery disease also known as heart disease. The disease occurs as a result of the accumulation of plaques such as fat and cholesterol building up in the walls of the coronary arteries.

Dr. David Spence, the researcher behind the study found that consuming egg yolks regularly is roughly two-thirds as bad as smoking. The study conducted looked at 1200 patients, including both men and women with an average age of 61.5.  The research wasn’t a controlled experiment as it was conducted on Spence’s current patients, who had a history of high cholesterol to begin with.

Egg Farmers of Canada begs to differ with Spence’s research findings, noting "we have decades of clinical research demonstrating no link between egg consumption and an increased risk of heart disease,” says Karen Harvey, Nutrition Officer with Egg Farmers of Canada.

It’s a bit outrageous to make the claims that the results of this one study should be comparable to smoking and it’s even more outrageous to point the finger at egg industry.