Whether boiled, scrambled or sunny-side up, cholesterol-rich egg yolks can clog your arteries almost as much as cigarettes, a new study suggests. And last year, the average American ate 247 eggs -- 40 percent more than the world's per-capita average.
"People at risk of vascular disease should not eat egg yolks," contends study lead author Dr. David Spence, professor of neurology at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada.
The cholesterol found in an egg's yellow center can even clog the carotid artery leading to the brain, upping risks for stroke, he pointed out. A single large egg contains more than 180 mg of cholesterol -- more than a third of a person's daily recommended intake.
"Carotid plaque goes up steeply with age, so the only people who can eat egg yolks with impunity are those who know they will die young from some cause other than vascular disease," Spence said.
The report was published online in Atherosclerosis.
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