Government cholesterol warnings may be missing from an upcoming dietary guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services, reversing four decades of advice.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which sends its recommendation to the health department, will likely leave cholesterol off the list of "nutrients of concern" for the first time ever.
Robert Eckel, past president of the American Heart Association, said that the proposed change would be in line with many health groups. He said that while people at risk for diabetes should keep away from cholesterol – found it foods like egg yolks, shrimp, and lobster – average citizens aren't at as much of a risk.
Many health researchers have concluded that while high levels of cholesterol in the blood is still bad, cholesterol-rich diets might not significantly contribute to those levels.
The government originally took up cholesterol warnings following a 1961 report from the American Heart Association that said it contributed to heart disease. At the time, the warning hit the egg industry hard as the country's per-capita consumption fell 30 percent.
"We got the dietary guidelines wrong. They've been wrong for decades," said Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic,
according to USA Today. We told people not to eat eggs. It was never based on good science."
Nissen said that only 20 percent of a person's blood cholesterol comes from diet, while the rest comes from genes.
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