The Power Foods: Eggs

By Coach Rishabh · January 4, 2017 · 6 min read

Eggs are nature’s amazing little nutrient sacs full of vital nourishment. They contain a unique array of powerful anti-oxidants and essential fats. The nutritional portfolio of a single large egg looks as below:

Energy	72 kcal
Protein	6.28 g
Total Fat	4.75 g
Carbohydrates	0 g
Vitamin B-12	0.45 µg, 9% of RDA
Vitamin B-2, Riboflavin	0.229 mg, 15% of RDA
Vitamin B-5, Pantothenic Acid	0.766 mg, 7% of RDA
Selenium	15.4 µg, 22% of RDA

 

Additionally, an egg contains trace amounts of nearly all vitamins and mineral such as Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Calcium,  Folate and various other less known nutrients. You can imagine the richness of this power food by the fact that the nutrients in it are enough to convert a single cell into a life form! So don’t underestimate the power of an egg.

Egg Yolks And Cholesterol

There has been a lot of controversy about the eggs containing some cholesterol. Many doctors fear that it may worsen the lipid profile of heart patients, so they recommend almost everyone to avoid yolks like plague.

The problem with avoiding dietary cholesterol is that cholesterol serves many important functions in the human body. It acts as a raw material (pregnenolone) for the derivation of hormones like testosterone (male hormone), DHEA & cortisol (adrenal hormones) etc. Your liver produces cholesterol every day. If you don’t ingest enough cholesterol from foods, then your liver just produces more of it. It is that essential!

Numerous studies (1-3) have probed into the connection between egg consumption and cardiovascular risk but found none. The only probabilities of increased risk were shown in diabetic patients (4-6). Further research is warranted in this case also as low carb diet has been shown to reverse type II diabetes in a few cases (7-9).

Moreover, eggs tend to raise HDL (heart friendly good cholesterol) while decreasing LDL (heart clogging bad cholesterol) which helps in mitigating the risk factor for heart disease (10-13). It appears that the risk of cholesterol depends more so on your genetics and poor diet rather than with eating eggs.

Eggs And Muscle Building

Eggs are a very high-quality protein source. They’re awarded a biological rating (protein quality parameter) of 100. It indicates that the net utilization of protein ingested through eggs is very high and efficient. Eggs contain all the essential amino acids (EAA) required by the body in the right ratio.

Egg white (albumin) contains the majority of protein content along with some B vitamins. It also contains an anti-nutrient in the form of a protein called avidin which prevents the absorption of certain B vitamins like biotin. But the process of heating and cooking gets rid of avidin and thus the nutrient loss. Although egg yolk contains less protein as compared to whites, the high levels of EAA Leucine make it very potent for hypertrophy.

Eggs And Fat Loss

Eggs had been shown in a few studies (14,15) to cause significant changes in fat mass reduction. They score very high on satiety index which makes eggs very filling and satisfying for hunger control. Also, they are void of any carbs, high in nutrients and moderate on calories which make them an ideal food choice during fat loss.

Eggs And Good Health

Eggs are loaded with antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin. These nutrients tend to accumulate in the retina of the eye and show powerful protective action. Studies have shown these nutrients to significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness (16-18).

The egg yolk contains high amounts of a brain nutrient choline. It is an essential component of cell membranes and is required to synthesize neurotransmitter acetylcholine which serves critical neural functions. A low choline intake has implications in liver disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological problems and pregnancy (19,20).

Omega-3 eggs though costly are rich in EPA/DHA fatty acid content which also has numerous health benefits. Desi eggs are similar in profile to the regular eggs, so they do not justify the cost in exchange of nutrition. Also, the salmonella infection concern is overblown. If you cook your eggs before eating, you’re in a safe zone.

Conclusion

Eggs are a nutrition powerhouse. Though they’ve been bashed repeatedly for containing cholesterol, but research suggests that they’re risk-free for any type of cardiovascular or heart disease. They are cheap, tasty and indeed a ‘power’ food.

References

1. Ying Rong, doctoral student, Li Chen, research fellow, Tingting Zhu, research fellow, Yadong Song, research fellow, Miao Yu, research fellow, Zhilei Shan, research fellow, Amanda Sands, doctoral student, Frank B Hu, professor, Liegang Liu, professor. Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMJ 2013; 346.
2. Frank B. Hu, MD; Meir J. Stampfer, MD; Eric B. Rimm, ScD; et al. A Prospective Study of Egg Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Men and Women. JAMA. 1999;281(15):1387-1394.
3. Lee, A. and Griffin, B. (2006), Dietary cholesterol, eggs and coronary heart disease risk in perspective. Nutrition Bulletin, 31: 21–27.
4. Djoussé L, et al Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women . Diabetes Care. (2009).
5. Shi Z, et al Egg consumption and the risk of diabetes in adults, Jiangsu, China . Nutrition. (2011).
6. Pearce KL, Clifton PM, Noakes M Egg consumption as part of an energy-restricted high-protein diet improves blood lipid and blood glucose profiles in individuals with type 2 diabetes . Br J Nutr. (2011).
7. William S YancyJr, Marjorie Foy, Allison M Chalecki, Mary C Vernon and Eric C Westman. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes. Nutrition & Metabolism 2005 2:34.
8. Eric C Westman and Mary C Vernon. Has carbohydrate-restriction been forgotten as a treatment for diabetes mellitus? A perspective on the ACCORD study design. Nutrition & Metabolism 2008 5:10.
9. Westman EC, Yancy WS Jr, Mavropoulos JC, Marquart M, McDuffie JR. The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2008 Dec 19;5:36.
10. Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006 Jan;9(1):8-12.
11. Mutungi G, Waters D, Ratliff J, Puglisi M, Clark RM, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Eggs distinctly modulate plasma carotenoid and lipoprotein subclasses in adult men following a carbohydrate-restricted diet. J Nutr Biochem. 2010 Apr;21(4):261-7.
12. Gisella Mutungi, Joseph Ratliff, Michael Puglisi, Moises Torres-Gonzalez, Ushma Vaishnav, Jose O. Leite, Erin Quann, Jeff S. Volek, and Maria Luz Fernandez. Dietary Cholesterol from Eggs Increases Plasma HDL Cholesterol in Overweight Men Consuming a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet. J. Nutr. February 2008  vol. 138 no. 2 272-276.
13. Blesso CN, Andersen CJ, Barona J, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Whole egg consumption improves lipoprotein profiles and insulin sensitivity to a greater extent than yolk-free egg substitute in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Metabolism. 2013 Mar;62(3):400-10.
14. Vander Wal JS, Marth JM, Khosla P, Jen KL, Dhurandhar NV. Short-term effect of eggs on satiety in overweight and obese subjects. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Dec;24(6):510-5.
15. JS Vander Wal, A Gupta, P Khosla and N V Dhurandhar. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity (2008) 32, 1545–1551.
16. D M Snodderly. Evidence for protection against age-related macular degeneration by carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins. Am J Clin Nutr December 1995 vol. 62 no. 6 1448S-1461S.
17. Catharine R. Gale; Nigel F. Hall; David I. W. Phillips; Christopher N. Martyn. Lutein and Zeaxanthin Status and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2003, Vol.44, 2461-2465.
18. Cécile Delcourt; Isabelle Carrière; Martine Delage; Pascale Barberger-Gateau; Wolfgang Schalch; the POLA Study Group. Plasma Lutein and Zeaxanthin and Other Carotenoids as Modifiable Risk Factors for Age-Related Maculopathy and Cataract: The POLA Study. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2006, Vol.47, 2329-2335.
19. Steven H. Zeisel, M.D., Ph.D. and Kerry-Ann da Costa, Ph.D. Choline: An Essential Nutrient for Public Health. Nutr Rev. 2009 Nov; 67(11): 615–623.
20. Lisa M. Sanders, PhD, RD and Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD. Choline Dietary Requirements and Role in Brain Development. Nutr Today. 2007; 42(4): 181–186.