Gundersen nutritionist weighs in on study linking eggs to heart disease

Enjoying some eggs for breakfast today? You might be killing yourself in the long run.

According to a new study by a UMASS lowell nutrition expert, increased egg consumption is linked with heart disease.

Halley Molstad with Gundersen Health System in La Crosse pushed back on the “eggs are my protein source,” argument.

“There are other things you can consume for that source,” Molstad said. “Plant-based proteins, naturally don’t contain any cholesterol. You could eat nuts, beans or even lentils.”

The study tracked 30,000 adults for as long as 31 years to come up with the conclusion.

If you are going to have some eggs for breakfast, you might be better off eating them in a certain fashion.

“If you’re doing a poached egg or hard boiled, that’s preferable,” Molstad said. “When you are frying it in baking grease you are adding in other saturated fats and cholesterol.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people ate an average of 279 eggs in 2017, compared with 254 eggs in 2012.

Meanwhile, current U.S. dietary guidelines do not offer advice on the maximum number of eggs individuals should eat each day.

Molstad said, in the end, it’s all about balance and responsibility.