A Canadian doctors’ warning unfavourably comparing the cholesterol from just one egg yolk to that of KFC’s notorious “Double Down” bunless sandwich has Canada’s egg producers boiling.
Billed as a warning about the danger of dietary cholesterol for those at risk of a strike or heart attack, a new review published by three physicians in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology stated “one of the worst offenders is the egg yolk which, depending on size, can contain 215 to 275 milligrams of cholesterol.”
By comparison, the doctors wrote, KFC’s Double Down contains 150 mg of cholesterol and a Hardee’s Monster Thickburger has 210 mg. Patients at risk of cardiovascular disease are advised to keep total dietary cholesterol below 200 mg per day, they wrote.
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KFC’s Double Down, launched last year in the U.S. and in a “limited-time-only” release this year in Canada from Oct. 18 to Nov. 14, is a sandwich containing bacon and pepper jack cheese between two deep-fried KFC chicken breasts in lieu of bread.
Benefiting from extensive media coverage, KFC Canada reported Oct. 28 that it expected to sell 350,000 of the sandwiches by Oct. 31, making it the Canadian chain’s most successful new menu item to date.
“We wanted to put cholesterol into perspective, as there’s been a widespread misconception developing among the Canadian public and even physicians, that consumption of dietary cholesterol and egg yolks is harmless,” review co-author and stroke prevention expert Dr. David Spence, a professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Robarts Research Institute in London, said in a UWO release Monday.
“Much of this has to do with effective egg marketing,” Spence said.
“There is no question that egg white is classed as a valuable source of high-quality protein,” the review stated. “Egg yolks, however, are not something that should be eaten indiscriminately by adults without regard to their global cardiovascular risk, genetic predisposition to heart attacks and overall food habits.”
Spence’s co-authors were nutrition expert Dr. David Jenkins of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and cholesterol expert Dr. Jean Davignon of the Clinique de nutrition metabolisme et atherosclerose in Montreal.
“Wrong”
“With obesity increasing in North America at an alarming rate, medical professionals should be encouraging the consumption of nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods, such as eggs, rather than suggesting that high-fat fast food is better for health,” Bonnie Cohen, a registered dietitian with Egg Farmers of Canada, retorted in a release Tuesday.
“While individuals with heart or other health issues should always consult with their doctors or dietitians about their diet, research consistently shows that the vast majority of people may eat eggs without concern.”
Ottawa-area egg producer Laurent Souligny, chairman of Egg Farmers of Canada, said in the same release that the doctors’ review inaccurately cites the cholesterol level of eggs. “If the researchers get this number wrong, we must question the accuracy of the complete report,” he said.
According to the Egg Farmers, citing their own data and KFC’s, a large Canadian egg has 195 mg of cholesterol while the Double Down has 150 mg.
The Double Down, the Egg Farmers said, also has 30 grams of fat and 540 calories, while the same large egg has five grams of fat and 70 calories.
“It is important that Canadians balance their diets by choosing a variety of foods from each of the food groups in Canada’s Food Guide,” Cohen said. The Food Guide designates two eggs as one serving in the “meat and alternatives” group.
Not even the fried-chicken chain describes the Double Down as anything other than an “indulgent, occasional eat” with calories and fat content comparable to those of other chains’ burger-style entrees.
That said, the Vaughan, Ont. company and various nutrition experts have noted those watching their sodium may want to steer clear of the sandwich, one of which carries 1,740 mg.
Health Canada recommends adults do not exceed 2,300 mg of sodium per day, while 1,500 mg is considered adequate to promote good health.
