Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”

The quote of course is a “swipe” at statistics…a person can use them to support their own opinion or agenda. As I read more and more about diet and nutrition I find that you can substitute the phrase “studies” for “statistics”.

“…lies, damned lies and studies”, this claim may seem a little harsh but this does appear to be the case, in my humble opinion. If a “researcher” wants to prove a certain point he/she can design a “clinical trial or study” to prove it.

I had to laugh at this one study I read. It said that men who ate 7 or more eggs a week did not live as long as men who ate less than 7 eggs per week. The study also noted that the men who had 7 eggs or more per week also tended to drink too much, smoked tobacco and exercised less than the other group…..notice anything strange about that?

Is it possible that one of the other items on the list may have contributed to the decrease in longevity!!

Problems with studies…who funds them…For example : Studies (funded by tobacco companies) showing NO Link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer or heart disease.

Are EGGS GOOD, BAD or UGLY? : Eggs are good for you…no wait…they are bad…no wait….

I found links today talking about studies that show eggs are good for you. Then there are other links discussing studies that say you should avoid them or at least limit your intake. Both sides are represented by reputable people/groups. These are not snake oil salesmen….which adds to the frustration level.

This post started because I was going to tell my “egg story”. I was all set to say that eggs have gone from being good to bad, back to good. I thought, before I post this…let me get the official version from the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic.

Bad Eggs - The official AHA line: The average person, who has normal cholesterol levels should not consume more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. An egg has 213mg…therefore if you eat an egg…you should limit your cholesterol intake for the rest of the day. This should be obvious…but according to this you should NOT eat more than one egg per day.

Here is the link on the AHA website, go to question #7. http://tr.im/smVS
Here is the Mayo Clinic’s answer, which agrees with AHA. http://tr.im/smWv

Good Eggs - Then there is Jonny Bowden, PhD in Nutrition….who says don’t worry, Eggs are a “super food”. Here is a link to his egg commentary. http://tr.im/smZj

Back in March, I went to an Endocrinologist in regards to my diabetes. It was my first (and last visit) to this group so the doctor was “interviewing me” about my exercise and diet etc. I mentioned that I ate a couple of eggs every other day…she said, “ you should not eat that many eggs, that is too much cholesterol.”

I then replied, “I thought eggs had good cholesterol and that it was ok to eat them.”

She gave me this blank look, as if she didn’t know if I was right or not, and then said, “you should go see a nutritionist.“

#1: The Endocrinologist was a specialist so I had to pay $40…. She referred me to a Nutritionist so I could pay another $40 just to find out if eggs are good or bad for me?

#2: If I had gone to the nutritionist listed above…a PhD…he’d said, “eggs are a super food”.

As I said, there is sooo much contradicting information out there even on reputable sites. (I am not even talking about all the disreputable sites) …and I don’t blame this on the internet. The internet is just making it easier to see the diverse opinions.

WE NEED FACTS…in my opinion. :)

Just an FYI – in Feb ’09, it seems that everything related to my health was BAD…my cholesterol levels were too high. Today my cholesterol levels are back to normal and I eat eggs several times a week….and I usually eat 2-3 eggs at a time.

SO FOR ME…Eggs are not affecting my cholesterol (this may not be true for everyone).

"Wasn’t this an EGGsellent POST?"(as spoken by Vincent Price aka Egg Man on the original Batman TV Series)

Steve