Egg yolk consumption and cigarette smoking are almost equally dangerous

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Eggs are popular among millions of people around the world.  People love them because they are cheap to afford and taste delicious.  The popularity of eggs may also be due to the fact that egg is one of the foods with complete nutrients including protein, vitamins and minerals.  However, everything about eggs is not rosy.

consumption of egg yolk associated with saturated fat and atherosclerosis

The outcome of a study by researchers at Western University in Canada shows that eating of egg yolks is almost as dangerous as smoking of cigarettes.  In the study participants in their 60's were divided into two groups.  One group comprised of people who consumed one or more egg yolks per day while the second group was consisted of people who did not consume egg yolks.

At the end of the study the build up of plaques was significant on the artery walls of the first group who consumed egg yolks compared to the build up of plaques on the artery walls of those who did not consume egg yolks.  The plaques on the artery walls of the experimental group were similar to the plaques similar to those found on the artery walls of cigarette smokers.

There is a simple explanation for this finding.  The yolk of an egg consists mainly of cholesterol.  The amount of cholesterol in an average egg yolk is about 230 mg.  The body gets much of its cholesterol manufactured by the liver and does not need food high in cholesterol such as egg yolks.  Consequently, much of the egg yolks ingested into the body is not utilized by the body but becomes deposited on the artery walls just like the way in which smoking plaques are left on the artery walls of smokers.

People are advised to consume less egg yolk to avoid build up of plaques on the artery walls.

However, lovers of egg yolks should not be too worried about this finding that consumers of egg yolks might face similar health risks including atherosclerosis (a heart condition characterized by build up of plaques around the artery walls) as smokers and people who consume high saturated fat.

The research that produced this finding was an observational study which had examined only the relationship between eating of egg yolks and build up of plaques on the artery walls.  It did not examine the cause and effect relationship between egg yolks consumption and plaque build up on the artery walls. 

It is possible that the consumption of egg yolks may not necessarily lead to increased build up of carotid plaques.   There might be other confounding factors such as lack of exercise and poor diet among the participants who had consumed egg yolks which were not accounted for in the experiment but may have influenced the study outcome. 


In addition, the finding from researchers at Oxford University in Britain did not find any significant relationship between egg yolk consumption and arty wall plaque build up.  Like the previous research conducted at Western University, this Oxford University research also examined the effect of daily consumption of egg yolks and build up of plaques on the artery walls.  Unlike the results of previous study, the results of this study did not show any significant relationship between egg yolk consumption and increase risk of plaque build on the arteries.

While there is no conclusive evidence about the association between egg yolk consumption and plaque build in the artery walls yet, consumers should consume egg yolks moderately.  Like other types of food over, consumption of egg yolk can carry some health risks.

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