It seems that whenever I read about a new food issue many reports don’t always clarify what part of the food is the problem. For example the most recent issue seems to be about the egg.  Eggs are not bad as a whole food. It is the yolk that can be troublesome. Especially to those who are struggling to lower blood cholesterol levels.

A report from Mayo Clinic titled “Eggs: Are they good or bad for my cholesterol”  Dr. Lopez-Jimenez reports that chicken eggs are high in cholesterol, but the affect on egg consumption on blood cholesterol is minimum when compared with the effect of trans fats and saturated fat. The risk of heart disease may be more closely tied to the foods that accompany the eggs in a traditional American breakfast. Such as the sodium and fat in the bacon, sausages and ham, and the saturated fat or oils with trans fat used to fry the eggs and the hash browns. Sometimes full fat cheese is on top of scrambled eggs which adds to the bad fats.

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez also says that most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week with no increase in their risk of heart disease. Some studies have shown that this level of egg consumption may actually prevent some types of strokes. However, the absorption of any fat depends upon how your liver processes it. Plus many types of fat are added to the daily quota as well as too much are being consumed overall.

The story may be different for people who have diabetes. In this ever-growing population, some research shows eating seven eggs a week significantly increases the risk of heart disease. Other studies have shown that egg consumption does not affect heart disease risk factors.  More studies are needed to prove the association between egg consumption and developing heart disease in people with diabetes.

There are a lot of beneficial nutrients in the yolk. It contains omega-3 fats. However the amount of omega-3 varies with the amount of foods containing omega-3 that are eaten by the hen. If the hen is fed specific omega-3 oils such as menhaden oil, krill oil, flaxseed oil and algae oil, the omega-3 can increase by three to five times through supplementation of the hen’s diet with these oils. Eggs with as much as 250 milligrams of omega-3 per yolk have been produced in this way. There are many other ways to take omega-3 without consuming the egg yolk. Fatty fish such as salmon and cod liver oil can provide enough that would be needed. By the way, cod liver oil comes lemon flavored. It doesn’t taste bad.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating only 100 to 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day depending on your caloric level. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol. Saturated fat is approximately 1.63 grams and total fat is 5.30 grams. All of which is found in the yolk.

You can avoid eating the yolk and just consume the whites. There are cholesterol-free egg substitutes, which are made with only egg whites.

Eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. Both the American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 have said that it is no longer necessary to recommend limiting dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams daily, due to the discovery that cholesterol in food is different from the serum cholesterol in your blood, and it isn’t the sources of unhealthy blood cholesterol levels.  Except for fiber and carbohydrates, eggs deliver at least some of almost every important nutrient and are an exceptional source of protein. The 7 grams of protein in a large egg contain all the essential amino acids; the World Health Organization uses eggs as the standard for evaluating the biological value of protein in all other foods.

Eggs contain small amounts of all the B vitamins, but are most notable for choline, a nutrient usually grouped with the B-complex vitamins which are important for brain and nerve function. Most American get only about 300 milligrams of choline daily, short of the adequate intake (AI)  of 425 milligrams (mg) for women and 550 mg for men. One large egg has about 125 mg of choline.

Egg yolks are a source of the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect your eyes against conditions such as macular degeneration. Although the amount in eggs is relatively small, Tufts research led by Elizabeth Johnson, PhD. has shown that the carotenoids in egg yolks may readily be used by the body than carotinoids from other foods.

The nutrients in eggs are split between the yolk and the white, with a little more than half the protein found in the white and almost all the fat in the yolk. The yolk also contains all the carotenoids, vitamin A, D, E, and K, and most of the mineral content of the egg. The white has most of the niacin and riboflavin, while the yolk is higher in other B vitamins.

Pastured feeding of hens has been shown to significantly increase the vitamin E content of their eggs. In a recent study comparing caged hens to hens foraging on grasses and legumes, vitamin E in the yolk of eggs from hens who foraged on pasture was about 200% greater than vitamin E in the yolk of eggs from caged eggs. Hens, of course, are omivores and eat a wide variety of foods, including grasses, legumes, seeds, worms, grubs (insect larvae), and adult insects.

It doesn’t matter what color the egg is. White and brown eggs are nutritionally the same. Shell color is determined by the breed of hen, with brown and red hens laying brown eggs.

Egg grading is not determined by freshness, but by factors such as the quality of the white, absence of yolk defects and shell cleanness and integrity. In general however an “AA” egg will stay fresh longer than an egg graded “A”.

Independent reviews generally report no significant difference affecting consumer health between organic and conventional eggs. Organic standards require hens to have access to the outdoors.

The real health risk from eggs is salmonella contamination from chickens, which is impossible to detect by simple observation and is unrelated to eggs’ freshness. However, only 1 in 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria for salmonella. Raw, soft-cooked, and “sunny-side-up” eggs are riskier; if you prefer such preparations, consider pasteurized eggs, which are nutritionally identical. Because of the risk of cross-contamination, wash all surfaces exposed to raw egg, much as you would with raw chicken.

Store eggs, unwashed, with the pointier end down in their carton on a shelf inside the refrigerator. Avoid the fridge door, where temperatures vary more.

The egg expiration date is calculated based on when they were packaged (maximum 30 days from packaging to expiration), not when they were laid. The time between laying and packaging can be as little as a few days or as much as a few weeks. Eggs can be consumed even after the expiration date the USDA says raw eggs in the shell can be safely stored in the fridge for up to five weeks.

Hard-boiled eggs, even unpeeled, spoil faster than raw eggs because the water removes a protective coating and exposes the shell’s pores to bacteria. Refrigerate unpeeled and eat within a week.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

A hen takes about 26 hours to produce one egg: after a 30-minute rest, she starts the process again.

Farmers can affect the eggs nutritional content just by fiddling with what the hens eat, leading to a lot of egg choices.

Farmers discovered that by addng flaxseed to chicken feed they could produce eggs with as much as 350 mg of omega-3’s each, and that is a very good thing. Besides enhancing heart health, omega-3’s prevent muscle breakdown, aid muscle growth and actually boost fat loss.

Look for eggs in cartons that indicate they are free of antibiotics and hormones.

Over all don’t blame the egg for your cholesterol. Be aware that cholesterol can be influenced by the total daily consumption of fat and what types of fat are being consumed.