Harvard Medical Student’s Egg Diet: A Surprising Cholesterol Discovery
In a bold experiment, Harvard medical student Dr. Nick Norwitz consumed over 700 eggs in a month, leading to unexpected results in his cholesterol levels.
The egg-speriment
Dr. Norwitz embarked on a month-long journey, consuming 720 eggs to examine the impact on his cholesterol. Contrary to expectations, his LDL (low-density lipoprotein), often dubbed “bad” cholesterol, dropped by nearly 20 percent.
Norwitz hypothesized that 60 dozen eggs wouldn’t elevate his LDL levels. Consuming 24 eggs daily, he quintupled his dietary cholesterol intake to 133,200 milligrams over the month, he detailed in a YouTube video.
Cholesterol findings
Initially, Norwitz’s LDL levels dipped by 2 percent in the first week, followed by an 18 percent decrease in the subsequent weeks. His typical LDL level was around 90mg per deciliter before switching to a ketogenic diet.
According to Healthline, consuming two eggs daily showed no adverse effects on blood cholesterol levels compared to an egg-free, high-carb breakfast. The study also noted that individuals with health issues, like diabetes, consuming six to twelve eggs a week, experienced no negative impact on cholesterol but rather an increase in HDL, or “good” cholesterol.
Mechanism explained
Dietary cholesterol binds to gut receptors, releasing the hormone Choleson, which inhibits “endogenous cholesterol synthesis” in the liver, maintaining balance. “In lean, insulin-sensitive people who go on low carbohydrate diets, especially ketogenic diets, it is common for LDL levels to rise as part of a lipid triad,” Norwitz explained.
The lipid triad consists of “high LDL, high HDL, and low triglycerides, which constitutes a metabolic signature of an eggs-treme shift from carb-burning to fat-burning,” he added.
Adding carbs back into the diet of the “lean, mass hyper respondents” can lower the LDL.
Norwitz experimented by reintroducing fruits like blueberries and bananas in the last two weeks, leading to a significant LDL drop. “The extra carbs overpowered the cholesterol intake,” he noted.
Despite consuming 75 grams of saturated fat daily, Norwitz aimed to challenge extreme diet messaging on social media, describing his experiment as “intellectual provocation.” His unusual approach seeks to ignite interest in metabolic health research.
