New research broadens the understanding of the nutritional impact of egg consumption in young, healthy adults.
Are eggs good for you?
Scientists have been studying this divisive question for years. Some have found that egg intake increases LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and inflammatory markers associated with heart disease and diabetes, while others have highlighted the benefits of egg consumption thanks to their nutritional density.
Catherine J. Andersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, recently published a study in Nutrients that provides a broader perspective on the nutritional outcomes of egg consumption in healthy young adults.
Most existing research articles that evaluate the health effects of eggs tend to focus on a more limited range of standard clinical measurements, looking at biomarkers for heart disease, diabetes, body composition, inflammation, immune health, and anemia in isolation, rather than all together. Participants in these studies also tend to have pre-existing risk factors for chronic disease. They typically also follow additional dietary regimen changes like weight loss plans. These factors can complicate interpretations of how eggs affect health markers in the general or young, healthy population.
Andersen and her collaborators conducted a more comprehensive, clinically focused study that considered many health measurements a doctor would look at during a routine physical.
“It helps to provide a comprehensive picture of the effects of egg intake in a young, healthy population utilizing standard, routine clinical biomarkers,” Andersen says. “We believe that allows for greater translation to the general public.”
Findings on Choline and Heart Disease Risk
The study compared eating no eggs, three egg whites per day, and three whole eggs per day. Participants could prepare the eggs however they preferred.
Andersen found that blood samples showed a significant increase in choline, an essential nutrient found in egg yolks, when participants ate whole eggs daily. Choline intake has been associated with increases in a metabolite known as TMAO, which is linked to heart disease. But Andersen’s study found that TMAO did not change in this population despite increases in choline.
“That’s kind of the best-case scenario,” Andersen says. “We want to have rich amounts of this important nutrient, but not increase this metabolite that could potentially promote DOI: 10.3390/nu15173747