Feds to Ditch Warning on High-Cholesterol Food

Panel will no longer advise people to avoid eggs, other foods: Washington Post
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2015 5:34 PM CST
Feds to Ditch Warning on High-Cholesterol Food
Eggs and other foods high in cholesterol will no longer be dietary villains in the eyes of the federal government.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

It looks like Americans will be able to eat their eggs guilt-free soon. The Washington Post reports that the federal government is poised to drop its decades-long warning about eating foods high in cholesterol. In classic bureaucrat-speak, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has concluded that cholesterol is no longer a "nutrient of concern." The finding is currently in a draft report, but it is expected to be included in official USDA dietary guidelines that will be released within weeks. "The move reflects updated scientific thinking on cholesterol," explains a post at Reason.

"While high cholesterol levels in the blood can still be a bad health indicator, scientists no longer view high blood cholesterol as a direct result of eating a cholesterol-rich diet, at least not for most people." A cardiologist quoted by USA Today echoes the point: "We told people not to eat eggs," he says. "It was never based on good science." The change will not reverse warnings that high levels of "bad cholesterol," or LDL, pose a health risk, but the panel is embracing the evolving view that dietary cholesterol is not the culprit. Instead, most nutritionists now think that trans fats and saturated fats are the bigger dangers in regard to heart disease, notes the Post. (More cholesterol stories.)

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