The persistent myth that cholesterol causes heart disease has scared many of us away from eating eggs on a regular basis. But there is absolutely no research that links egg consumption to heart disease.
A recent review of the scientific literature published in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care clearly indicates that egg consumption has no discernible impact on blood cholesterol levels in 70% of the population. In the other 30% of the population (termed “hyperresponders”), eggs do increase both circulating LDL and HDL cholesterol.
You’ve probably been conditioned to believe that anything that raises LDL cholesterol (so-called “bad” cholesterol) should be avoided like the plague. But recent research suggests that it’s not the amount of cholesterol in an LDL particle (a.k.a. LDL cholesterol, or LDL-C) that drives heart disease risk, but instead the number of LDL particles in the bloodstream.
If anything, egg consumption is likely to protect against heart disease because it increases the proportion of large, buoyant LDL particles. Larger LDL particles can carry more cholesterol, which means fewer particles are needed overall. In other words, egg consumption may decrease LDL particle concentration, which is the most significant risk factor for heart disease.
Eggs one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. One egg provides 13 essential nutrients, all in the yolk (contrary to popular belief, the yolk is far higher in nutrients than the white).
Eggs are an excellent source of B vitamins, which are needed for vital functions in the body, and also provide good quantities of vitamin A, essential for normal growth and development.
The vitamin E in eggs protects against heart disease and some cancers; eggs also contain vitamin D, which promotes mineral absorption and good bone health.
Eggs are rich in iodine, for making thyroid hormones, and phosphorus, essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Eggs are also good sources of antioxidants known to protect the eye. Therefore, increased plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in individuals consuming eggs are also of interest, especially in those populations susceptible to developing macular degeneration and eye cataracts.
There’s absolutely no reason to limit your consumption of eggs to three to four per week, as recommended by “heart-healthy” nutritional guidelines. In fact, consuming two to three eggs per day would provide a better boost to your health and protection against disease than a multivitamin supplement. Eggs truly are one of nature’s superfoods.
It’s important, however, to make sure that you buy organic, pasture-raised eggs. Studies show that commercially-raised eggs are up to 19 times higher in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. Unfortunately, almost all eggs sold in supermarkets – even the organic eggs sold at chains such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats – are not truly pasture-raised. To find these eggs, check your local farmer’s market or visit the Eat Wild website to locate a source in your area.
To read more about heart disease and cholesterol, check out the special report page.
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Eggs only have about 0.7g of PUFA, give or take. They are not where people are getting the overload of omega-6 fatty aicds. Soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil oil are vastly more dangerous. The amount of omega-6 in half a dozen eggs is less than a serving of potato chips or other junk food or an ounce of peanuts. Those are the foods people should be told to avoid, not the eggs.
The high-carb and high-PUFA diet most people eat today causes cancer and many other diseases, including heart disease. I don’t understand this article completely. You start by saying “there is absolutely no research” linking egg consumption with heart disease. Then you say that 99% of the eggs people are eating are pro-inflammatory. This is speculation, IMO.
Bruce,
I completely agree with you about the harmful effects of PUFA and the lack of awareness on this issue in the mainstream health and medical world. The research is clear that PUFA are far more dangerous than saturated fat and cholesterol – which actually turn out to be innocent.
Regarding eggs: while it’s true that there’s no evidence linking egg consumption specifically to heart disease, I do believe that supermarket eggs (which contain up to 19x more omega-6 fatty acids than pasture-raised eggs) should be avoided for numerous reasons. While the amount of PUFA in an egg is relatively low, most of it will be the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid in a commercial egg. Eggs from pasture-raised chickens have 2/3 more vitamin A and 7 times the amount of beta-carotene than battery-raised eggs. They are also higher in B12, folic acid and vitamin E.
Then of course there are the more obvious health risks that come with battery-raised eggs, such as exposure to the antibiotics and hormones the animals are treated with and increased chances of salmonella and other diseases due to overcrowding.
Best,
Chris
I wanted to bring up this study. Scientists found that normal eggs caused increased LDL oxidation, as did eggs enriched with omega-3 and Vitamin E. But when they developed a low-PUFA egg with a higher ratio of MUFAs to PUFAs, the LDL oxidation did not increase at all.
http://www.animalscience.com/uploads/additionalFiles/QualityOfPoultryMeat/11.pdf
Chris Masterjohn mentioned a similar study, which is what led me to this. The study he mentioned is a different one, however. Making eggs with a higher MUFA:PUFA ratio gave a strong protection against LDL oxidation, whereas making eggs with more anti-oxidants or omega-3 fats had no benefits. I believe that a high ratio of MUFA:PUFA and SFA:PUFA is ideal.
The regular eggs had a 2:1 MUFA:PUFA ratio, while the high MUFA:PUFA eggs had a 4:1 ratio of oleic acid (18:1 n-9) to linoleic acid (18:2 n-6). I use eggs with a 4:1 MUFA-PUFA ratio (2g of MUFA, 0.5g of PUFA). They have a 3:1 ratio of SFA to PUFA (1.5g of SFA). A lot of eggs have twice as much PUFAs, based on nutritional data (accurate to 0.5g of fat). I would look for eggs with the least PUFAs (pref 0.5g).
The push for omega-3 eggs is dangerous. Even Mercola stopped advising people to eat omega-3 eggs, because they spoil faster and the sources of omega-3 fats are frequently toxic. People would be a lot healthier if farms focused on minimizing the PUFA content of meat, eggs, dairy, etc. Rather than feeding foods like soy that increase it vastly.
where do you find these kinds of eggs w/ 4:1 MUFA-PUFA ratio? What brands have low PUFA? I only see regular eggs and omega-3 eggs around most stores.
Whole Foods offer pasture raised chickens and eggs.
Also the farmer’s markets have vendors that sell pastured eggs, but make sure they are not free ranged, but pastured. Pastured chickens are allow to roam on grass and shrubs and have the choice to forage for worms and bugs, shrubs etc., their natural diet that they would find out out in nature and they have a choice also to eat the feed left out for them. Free ranged mean they are allow to roam on cement yards and the only food is the feed that is given to them, so the quality of the eggs that they produce is different, depending on the feed that they get and if they can forage in their home environment.
Great post Chris, and awesome comment Bruce. For some reason, I instinctually stay away from any eggs labeled “omega-3 enhanced” or the likes. I am glad to see my preconceived notions were sound!
I am going to try and buy eggs from local farmer’s markets exclusively this spring/summer. I would really love to build my own chicken coop eventually (and perhaps get a milking cow).
@Bruce:
I agree completely. Thanks again for your comment.
Here’s the study Chris M told me about, I think. He wasn’t sure it was the right one. However, it’s by the same key author and university. They found that the low-PUFA eggs were practically identical to a low-egg diet in their effect on LDL oxidation, while high-PUFA eggs increased oxidation of LDL particles. I’ve seen a lot of other studies like this that show anti-oxidants are over-rated and it’s better to simply minimize the consumption of foods that cause (per)oxidation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18442246?
i am eating 6 eggs a day its part of the bodybuilding program i was intorduced to, im 17 . is that a problem?
I eat 3 eggs with my breakfast and was wondering if this were harmful so I decided to look and see. What I have learned explains why I seek them. See I am a school bus driver and need to maintain good vision, most especially I need the b vitamins since the job admittly comes with it’s share of stress. I find that getting 30 min of exercize each day helps most with stress and cardio vascular health.
I don’t see how it’s practical at all to get eggs for most folks at anywhere but the grocery store. In my case, where I don’t really have the time to make dozens of trips all over my region to get food, would it be better just to avoid eggs all together then?
I am curious if you recommend eating eggs raw or cooked for the most nutritional value. I have read differing opinions on the bioavailabilty of cooked vs. raw egg protein, in particular.
Raw egg yolks: yes. Raw egg whites: no. But cooked egg yolks and whites are fine and plenty nutritious.
Why don’t you recommend raw egg whites? Could you please elaborate on that? That will be really helpful because I have been told eggs are a complete package and should be consumed whole! Which kind of makes sense.
There is a protein in raw egg whites called avidin which binds to biotin and can eventually cause biotin deficiency if the raw egg whites are consumed over a long term period.
I am wondering if you agree it is safe to feed a 1yr old child a 3-1/2 minute cooked egg yolk? Is there much risk of salmonella or other contamination?
I also read your article on the safety of raw milk. Do you believe raw milk is safe for young toddlers (1-2yrs old), or best fed only to older children?
Hi, Chris. I eat eggs from pastured hens almost every day for breakfast. I love them! But I recently read a older post on MDA, in which Sisson warns against eating eggs so regularly. He people who eat eggs every day run the risk of developing an allergy to them. Do you agree?
Gosh!! And if most of American GI’s that had autopsies done during Vietnam and Korean wars and were between ages of 19-24. Yikes all with advanced ATHERSCLEROCIS. I mere blood lipid test only tells what’s floating in your arteries at that moment. The GI’s all had advanced heart disease yes at 19!!
So if you can convinnce mankind to the actual condition and health of ones arteries ie: diseased say by the age of 45—- convince to eat 3-6 eggs a day? If you had heart disease can you arrest and reverse it eating like this?? I would love the knowledge to know. I was eating grass fed eggs 3 a day and coconut oil lots of veggies and fruit— no simple carbs, sugar etc and my blood pressure and cholesterol levels went up through the roof! Stopped doing it and everything is normal with blood pressure at 110 / 70 and feel so much better and NO I do not use oils in my diet as most are rancid and treated with hexane gas.
Please– any comments.
Any thoughts on this NYT article re a new study on lecithin, choline and TMAO?
Eggs, Too, May Provoke Bacteria to Raise Heart Risk
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/health/eggs-too-may-provoke-bacteria-to-raise-heart-risk.html
Thanks a lot.
A big fan of yours
I think it depends mostly on what kind of eggs you’re eating Supermarket eggs are much higher in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) than pasture-raised (free-range) eggs. As Bruce mentioned above, studies have shown that high-PUFA eggs increase oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which in turn increases risk of heart disease and other diseases. So, if you’re eating 6 eggs/day from a local farmer or farmer’s market, I’d say that’s okay. If you’re eating 6 eggs a day from a supermarket, I’d say no.
I think it depends mostly on what kind of eggs you’re eating Supermarket eggs are much higher in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) than pasture-raised (free-range) eggs. As Bruce mentioned above, studies have shown that high-PUFA eggs increase oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which in turn increases risk of heart disease and other diseases. So, if you’re eating 6 eggs/day from a local farmer or farmer’s market, I’d say that’s okay. If you’re eating 6 eggs a day from a supermarket, I’d say no.
What should we feed our chickens in order that they lay low-PUFA eggs?
Plenty of grubs, worms, kitchen scraps, kelp powder, etc and no corn or soy
if possible.
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