The controversy around eggs is becoming such a long-lasting one that it might soon beat the “who was first: chicken or the egg” argument. For a while, eggs have got a bad rep but as it turns out, there's no need to be scared of your favorite breakfast option.
New research uncovers the truth about eggs and your health: one egg a day is completely fine. Researchers from the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences analyzed several long-term studies and found that there's no harm in including eggs in your diet – but, if you do so, do it moderately.
According to their results, consuming about one (or fewer) egg a day won't increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers also didn't find a connection between moderate egg consumption and blood cholesterol. Considering that eggs have usually been tied to cardiovascular issues and high-cholesterol problems due to their high cholesterol content, this is quite a notable finding.
There are plenty of earlier studies that claim eggs could be quite dangerous, but Salim Yusuf, principal investigator of the study and director of PHRI said that those results are mainly related to the relatively small size of the research group which means that those studies simply don't reflect the actual situation.
This new study analyzed egg consumption of 146,011 individuals from 21 countries which means that the results could be pretty reliable.
5 Health benefits to reap from eating eggs
In the middle of the big “egg scare”, many people forgot what a treasure trove of nutrition even just one egg could be. Here are some of the health benefits you could enjoy when you consume eggs moderately.
1. Eggs are packed with nutrients
As they say, it's not the size that matters. Eggs are nutrition powerhouses! Just a single egg contains:
- 22% of daily selenium
- 15% of daily vitamin B2
- 11% of daily vitamin D
- 12% of daily protein
- 9% of daily vitamin B12 and phosphorus
- 7% of daily vitamin B5
- 6% of daily vitamin A
- 5% of daily folate
Beyond that, they include vitamin K, B6, calcium, and zinc. All of that in less than 80 calories! As some experts say, eggs contain pretty much every nutrient on the planet, making eggs one of the most nutritious foods.
2. Eggs contain choline
Talking about nutrients, choline is probably one of the most underrated ones. Choline plays a big role in building our cell membranes and has many vital tasks but many of us aren't even aware of choline, not to even mention that most people don't consume it enough.
Eggs happen to be one of the best sources for choline, having more than 100 mg of choline per egg. The average woman should consume about 400-450 mg of choline daily, so one egg helps to fill a quarter of that necessity!
3. Eggs contain lutein
As mentioned, eggs contain various micronutrients too. Among those are lutein and zeaxanthin which both contribute to your eye health and might even decrease the risk of cataracts.
Egg yolks are proven to help increase the blood levels of both of those micronutrients, so including eggs in your daily diet might serve well for you in the future by supporting your eye health!
4. Eggs are an amazing source of essential amino acids
We all know how important proteins are for our bodies. Instead of beefing yourself up with protein powders, opt for eggs instead. In addition to just containing a large amount of protein per one egg, they also contain all the essential amino acids and all of those in the exact right ratios too.
Thanks to eggs, you won't really need to worry about amino acids again.
5. Eggs will make you feel full for longer
Eggs are the best friends for anyone who's trying to lose weight. Thanks to their high protein content, eggs are very filling and therefore, they reduce the number of calories you eat since you simply won't feel hungry.
Try switching your morning bagel for an egg – a few studies claim that you'll automatically start eating fewer calories, all thanks to eggs and their satiety.
What about the cholesterol found in eggs?
Undoubtedly, eggs are high in cholesterol. One large egg contains about 187 mg of cholesterol which is about 62% of the daily recommended amount.
As Harvard Health explains, an egg a day doesn't increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, despite the egg's high cholesterol content.
Why? Because we don't really get cholesterol from the things we eat. Our liver produces the necessary cholesterol and dietary cholesterol has a small role to play. The main issue still lies in saturated fats and trans fats but dietary cholesterol is not the culprit.
Most experts agree on one thing: one egg a day is safe for most people and the cholesterol content found in the egg won't increase the risk of heart disease. Feel free to include one egg in your daily diet: you might actually do your health a favor!
