Eggs contain large amounts of cholesterol, a compound that increases the risk of strokes and heart disease. Limiting eggs in your diet was once recommended as a way to avoid major health problems, but new studies show that the cholesterol in eggs has a less harmful effect on your body than the saturated fat in which you cook them.
Cholesterol Concerns
The yolk of just one large egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, a waxy, fatty compound that builds up as plaque on the walls of your arteries. The recommended maximum daily consumption of cholesterol for a healthy adult is only 300 mg, so that leaves little room in your diet for other cholesterol sources such as meat. Cholesterol in the food you eat contributes less to unhealthy cholesterol levels than does the saturated fat you consume, according to Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., of MayoClinic.com. Poaching or boiling eggs reduces the fat in your meal, and substituting vegetables for meat later in the day helps balance your diet.
Nutritional Benefits
Eggs provide protein and significant amounts of vitamins A, D, and B-12. New samplings of eggs in 2010 revealed that eggs contain less cholesterol and more vitamin D than previously believed. Cholesterol measurements dropped by 12 percent and vitamin D increased by 56 percent, compared to previous studies conducted in 2002. Eggs contribute both iodine and choline to your diet. One large egg contains only 4.5 g of fat with only 1.6 g of unsaturated fat. A large egg provides only 78 calories, but you can easily set aside the fat by eating only the egg white, reducing the calorie count to 17.
Dangers
Eating too many eggs might not affect you adversely, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Patients in a three-week study in Oakland, California at Highland Hospital ate the equivalent of 15 egg yolks daily. Only two of the 13 people in the study developed higher cholesterol levels.
Quality
Some eggs provide significantly more nutrients than others, according to researcher Heather Karsten of Penn State. Hens living in cages produce eggs with different nutrient balances than those laid by hens allowed to forage in pastures. Eggs laid by pastured hens held double the vitamin E and more than twice as much healthful omega-3 fatty acid content as the eggs of caged hens. The type of forage the hens grazed also affected egg quality. Hens ranging on grasses instead of clover laid eggs with 23 percent higher levels of vitamin E. You'll get more nutrition from eggs if you shop for for "cage-free" or "omega-3 enhanced" eggs.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol; Thomas Behrenbeck; December 22, 2009
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Search Term -- Egg
- Incredible Egg: Cracking the Cholesterol Myth
- University of Illinois Extension: Eggs and Cholesterol
- NHS Choices; Eggs; September 3, 2011
- Penn State Live; Research Shows Eggs from Pastured Chickens May Be More Nutritious; Jeff Mulhollem, et al.; July 20, 2010
Member Comments