Just short of playing Russian roulette at the breakfast table, the consensus seems to be that we are all doomed without a doubt, as the latest chapter of the great American death machine has just revealed that eating egg yolk may be just as bad as smoking cigarettes.

So what in the name of Joe Camel is going on here?

The latest reaper report, published by Dr. David Spence, found that regular egg yolk consumption is nearly two-thirds as bad as smoking due to it causing an increased build-up of carotid plague, which is an inherent risk factor for strokes and heart attacks.

Researchers collected data from 1,231 men and women around the age of 60, who were patients attending vascular prevention clinics at London Health Sciences Centre’s University Hospital.

In order to complete the study, researchers used ultrasounds to measure the amount of plaque build-up and then issued lifestyle questionnaires to find out more about participants medications, smoking and eating habits and the duration of these habits.

What they found was that after the age of 40, carotid plaque began increasing, especially in those who reported years of smoking and egg yolk consumption. In a nutshell, researchers say that smoking and eating eggs accelerates the death rattle.

Spence says that the idea that eggs can be a part of a healthy diet for healthy people has been confused.

“It has been known for a long time that a high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events, and egg yolks have a very high cholesterol content. In diabetics, an egg a day increases coronary risk by two to five-fold," said Spence, a professor of Neurology at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the director of its Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre at the Robarts Research Institute.

Although Spence admits that more research is needed, he stresses that regular egg yolk consumption should be avoided by people at risk for cardiovascular disease.

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