The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 09, 1985, Image 3
Monday, September 9, 1985/The Battalion/Page 3 Egg lovers get good news Truth told on cholesterol By MANDY MIKULENCAK Reporter There may be good news on the horizon for people who have given up eggs to control high blood choles terol levels, one Texas A&M re search scientist says. Dr. Barbara O’Brien, a research scientist in the Department of Bio chemistry and Biophysics, says some people may be modifying their diets and giving up foods they enjoy, such as eggs, for no reason. “About 15 to 20 percent of the population, if they eat a high c holes terol diet or a diet high in animal fat, their blood cholesterol levels will in crease," O’Brien says. “But for the majority of the people, it doesn't make any dif ference. "What needs to be considered is how an individual responds to cho lesterol.” O’Brien explains that each per son’s body produces a certain amount of cholesterol required as a component of the cell membranes, but that a mechanism in the body normally blocks absorption of any excess obtained by eating foods high in cholesterol. “This mechanism works as long as a person isn’t consuming more than the body needs,” O’Brien says. “But the diets people eat contain things like fibers that will prevent or inter fere with the absorption of choles terol. So if you have something in the diet that will prevent that ab sorption, the blood cholesterol level will not change.” O’Brien says her research deals with learning how dif ferent foods in the diet influence cholesterol metab olism. Much of the concern about cho lesterol comes from the fact that the American Heart Association recom mends that people limit their intake of f oods high in cholesterol, such as O’Brien says the recommenda tions stem from the results of experi ments conducted in the 1950s in volving controlled, purified diets that showed when tne amount of cholesterol in the diet was increased, the blood cholesterol levels in creased. Further research in the 1960s showed a link between the average blood cholesterol level of a group of people and the incidence of heart disease in that group. “The problem with this is that people don’t eat controlled, purified diets," she says. “They eat meat and potatoes, rice, and f ruits and vegeta bles. So there are other things in the diet that affect the control of the cholesterol in the blood.” O’Brien’s research included an experiment in which 29 men ate three eggs a day in addition to their regular diets. Only two of the subjects showed an increase in blood cholesterol lev els after the experimental period was over, confirming O’Brien’s be lief that the body has a way of stop ping the absorption of excess choles terol. She says, though, that there are people who cannot control the cho lesterol levels because their shut-off mechanisms don’t work properly, probably due to a genetic problem. “I’m not encouraging people to eat more eggs,” O’Brien says. “I’m trying to encourage people to realize that, if they like eggs, they can find out if there’s any reason to deprive themselves. “They can find out if they are in dtat fraction of the population that are susceptible to high blood choles terol levels.” O'Brien says that for some people, cutting down on foods high in cho lesterol could make a difference in their blood cholesterol levels, but that there is no evidence that mod ifying the diet will in any way reduce the risk of heart attacks. “It’s a terrible shame to have that correlation — e gg s > cholesterol, heart disease,” O’Brien says. “That correlation is so strong in the minds of some people. Eat eggs, have a heart attack.” “Eggs are such a nutritious food,” O’Brien says. “Especially for young people. You cannot find a more complete food. And at the price, you just can’t beat ’em.” YAMAHA! ALPINE CARVER BANG & OLUFSEN - NAKAMICHI TWO OF THE BEST Bang & Olufsen Nakamichi Car Stereo Beogram 1800 TD 300 New! Low Mass Tonearm Excellent Suspension MMC 4 Cartridge Reg. $370 00 SALE $299 00 10% Bang & Olufsen Beogram TX Unidirectional Transport Key-off Eject Dolby B & C Bass & Treble ONLY $390 00 Free Goods Nakamichi Home Cassette BX100 & 5 ; ’T £ r s "■tre H- Accounts sound at insolvent bank Associated Press HOUSTON — Customers lined up at Heights Savings Association branches found their accounts in or der even though federal regulators declared the thrift insolvent, officials said. Federal authorities declared Heights insolvent Friday, recapita lized it at an undisclosed amount above its S9 million negative net worth and put it under new manage ment of San Antonio Savings. As customers reached the front of the lines, Heights employees told them that the association was sound and that it would continue to oper ate as before. Heights, the ninth largest thrift in Houston, did not experience a sig nificant number of withdrawls, said Russ Cobbler, senior vice president and director of marketing for San Antonio Savings. “You’ve got to expect some with what everyone has heard about sav ings and loan failures in Maryland and Ohio.” Thrifts in those states did not have federal insurance as Heights did, he said. Some people who remained con cerned closed out their accounts. Others took the portion of their de posit exceeding tbe SI00,000 limit of Federal Sav ings and Loan Insurance Corp. protection. "Tm not sure what I’m going to do,” said Henry Roberts as he waited for his turn to talk to a teller. “I’ve been a Heights customer ever since it opened up. I almost flipped when I heard it had problems.” “I put money in,” said Raymond Goehring, his deposit slip in hand. “Tm not worried. I’ve done business with these people for years.” But Jim Lyon, a lifetime Heights customer, said he removed “damn near $100,000. I want to get it while I can.” Federal regulators blamed the problems on millions of dollars in real estate loan losses. Linear Tracking Sleek Design MMC 4 Cartridge Reg. $460 00 Dolby Master Fader Peak Meters Blacker Silver SALE $399 00 ONLY $299 00 AUDBOWO® Free Layaway Limited Quantities 707 Texas Ave. 696-5719 KLIPSCH BOSTON AC. Best Prices Full Service HAFLER AVERAGE OR OUTSTANDING? School is school. Papers, textbooks and going to class. The average college student goes through the motions to get an education. You can do better. Set yourself and your education apart from the average and be outstanding. Read The Houston Chronicle. 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