How Many Eggs Per Day Are Healthy

An Egg a Day Can Keep the Doctor Away

- Primary Health Risk of Egg Consumption: High Cholesterol

- Eggs Are Still Healthy Despite Cholesterol

Preface

Eggs are very delicious, no matter whether they are boiled or fried. And that satisfying taste has some valid reason.

Eggs are full of high-quality protein and essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, choline, and phosphorus.

It seems as if we are just naturally drawn this much towards eggs, so that our bodies stay well-nourished with all those nutrients that nature has packed within eggs.

Eggs are a universal food, enjoyed by all cultures worldwide.

People have created different ways of cooking and serving eggs, but one thing has always been in common, eggs possess that exact essence capable of satisfying humanity’s innate taste buds no matter how differently or how uniquely they’re cooked.

Despite all this goodness in eggs, it's essential to acknowledge a bitter truth, and that’s that eggs also contain a significant amount of cholesterol.

Primary Health Risk of Egg Consumption: High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is an essential substance for our bodies. But our body can produce this substance by itself. Our body produces about 1 gram of cholesterol daily.

If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it can lead to the accumulation of this substance in the blood vessels, which can partially or, in the worst scenario, fully block the flow of blood.

Consequently, less blood is able to reach the heart, because of which the heart receives less oxygen, increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Having too much cholesterol in the body raises the chances of developing a critical, life-threatening medical condition, especially heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, among others.

Egg is a major dietary source of cholesterol. A large 50-g egg contains 186.5 mg of cholesterol. All egg cholesterol is found in the yolk part of the egg.

Multiple studies have linked high egg consumption with heart diseases.

In a 2010 study involving 60 individuals, each participant consumed two extra eggs daily for a duration of one month. Their blood cholesterol levels were measured both before and after this dietary modification. The findings indicated that adding two additional eggs to the diet could lead to unfavorable changes in blood lipids potentially heightening the risk of cardiovascular complications in the long term.

In a later 2019 study with a much larger sample conducted by Gregory B. Lim, approximately 30,000 individuals were examined over a span of 17 years. The study findings suggested that eating more cholesterol from food, like an extra 300 mg a day, lead to an increased susceptibility to heart problems. It also found that eating just an extra half egg each day could also increase the risk of heart diseases.

Eggs Are Still Healthy Despite Cholesterol

However, on the flip side, certain studies have connected eating eggs with improved cardiovascular well-being and a reduced likelihood of heart disease. Sounds awkward?

A 2021 meta-analysis and systematic review, which was based on relevant literature published from 1966 to 2020, suggests that eating more than one egg a day is not just unlikely to cause a cardiovascular disease, but also it can benefit ‎your heart and can reduce the risk of developing a coronary artery disease.

It's puzzling: how can a food, which in one set of high-quality research articles is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, be reported to be good for the heart in this comprehensive systematic review?

The resolution to this paradox lies in the nutritional profile of eggs.

While eggs do contain cholesterol, typically considered harmful, they also boast numerous beneficial components, such as high-quality protein. This presents a conflict between the negative and positive aspects, with the positive attributes ultimately prevailing due to their dominance.

It turns out that egg cholesterol is bad, but eggs have some good stuff.

There is about 6 grams of protein per egg. Protein boosts metabolism owing to its strongest thermic effect of all macronutrients, leading to increased burning of body fat.

Not just that, protein also helps maintain and build muscle tissues, and as the body’s muscles get bigger, so does the energy requirement of the body at rest, paving the way for amplified fat loss throughout the body.

Reduction in body fat significantly reduces the likelihood of developing a heart disease.

Similarly, protein requires more time for thorough digestion in the stomach, leading to an earlier sensation of fullness and prolonged satiety. As long as your stomach remains full of food, your appetite stays suppressed by the brain, contributing to a lower caloric intake.

This effect is particularly reported for egg consumption.

A study led by Vander Wal, Jillon S., et al., which included 30 overweight women, found that after consuming a breakfast containing eggs, participants reported feeling more satisfied and subsequently consumed less food throughout the day.

This is attributed to the rich protein content in eggs. With reduced calorie intake, the body shifts to utilizing stored body fat for energy. The resulting decrease in body fat substantially lowers the risk of developing heart disease.

Conclusion

Therefore, for healthy people, moderate egg consumption, which is up to 2 medium eggs per day, is beyond okay, provided they maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes mindful eating, avoidance of unhealthy foods like foods high in added sugars and trans fats, and adherence to dietary guidelines in all meals and snacks.

However, if your diet is already very poor health-wise, the cumulative cholesterol from various sources, along with other unhealthy substances, like saturated fat, trans fat, added sugar, and excessive table salt, can negate the nutritional benefits of eggs. In such cases, the cholesterol in eggs could potentially outweigh the goodness of their heart-healthy nutrients, posing a greater risk to your health.

Sometimes, an egg itself is not bad for the heart, it’s the recipe you’ve followed. In some egg dishes, generous amounts of butter and high-fat cheese are added, which are rich in saturated fat. Saturated fat increases the risk of a heart disease more severely and more probably than dietary cholesterol.

Solution to Egg Cholesterol

Egg Whites: All of the cholesterol in eggs is concentrated in the yolk. So, egg whites are free of cholesterol but contain half of the egg’s protein content. Egg whites are also very tasty, and you can replace whole eggs with egg whites in most egg recipes, such as omelette and scrambled eggs, without much compromise on taste or texture.

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