Not too long ago, nutrition scientists believed that there was only one kind of cholesterol and that it was universally bad. Nutritionists now recognize three different kinds of cholesterol. One of these, HDL cholesterol, is actually good for circulatory health. Hard-boiled eggs long were on the "bad food" list because of their cholesterol count, but it turns out that some of the fats in hard-boiled eggs are actually heart healthy.
Dietary and Serum Cholesterol
According to Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett, there is a difference between dietary and serum cholesterol. The cholesterol in an egg does not automatically become cholesterol in your blood. Rather, different kinds of fats in foods stimulate your body to produce different kinds of cholesterol. There is a correlation between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol, but they are not one and the same.
Good Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, carries waste material from your bloodstream to your liver for disposal. According to Dr. Mehmet Oz in "You: The Owner's Manual," this waste material includes harmful LDL cholesterol. By clearing out the LDL cholesterol that can block arteries, HDL improves your overall circulatory health.
Cholesterol and Fat Counts
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a single large hard-boiled egg contains 212 grams of total cholesterol, which is about 71 percent of your daily allowance. It has 5.3 grams of fat, of which 1.6 grams are harmful saturated fats and 2.7 grams are healthy unsaturated fats.
Fat and Cholesterol
According to Willett, saturated fats stimulate your body to produce harmful LDL cholesterol. In the same manner, unsaturated fats--both monunsaturated and polyunsaturated--stimulate your body to produce the good HDL cholesterol.
Fat Ratios
According to Willett, the ratio between good and bad fats, not the raw numerical amount, matters most when considering a food and cholesterol. A typical hard-boiled egg carries just over 150 percent as much good unsaturated fats as bad saturated fats. This makes it a reasonably heart-healthy food choice, though not as healthy as some other options. Extra-virgin olive oil, for instance, delivers 100 percent unsaturated fats.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22"; United States Department of Agriculture; 2009
- "You: The Owner's Manual"; Dr. Mehmet Oz; 2006
