Eggs are good for you, eggs are bad for you, eggs are high in cholesterol, eggs are a good source of protein, dietary cholesterol has little effect on cholesterol levels, eat a low carb diet high in egg consumption, the incredible edible egg, eggs have fat soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids, eggs have vitamin D……

With so much varying information and sensational headlines, how can one decide if egg consumption is good for humans?

The American Egg Board

Every year, the American Egg Board spends over $20 MILLION dollars on marketing to consumers, schools, and food service organization.

(See page 17 of their annual report) https://www.aeb.org/images/PDFs/AboutAEB/AEB_Annual_Report_2017.pdf

According to their website:

“Through the American Egg Board (AEB), U.S. egg producers come together, in accordance with statutory authority, to establish, finance and execute coordinated programs, on research, education and promotion — all geared to drive demand for eggs and egg products. AEB and all program activities are funded by U.S. egg producers. AEB’s mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion.”

The purpose of the American egg board is to DRIVE DEMAND of egg consumption.  Unfortunately, their misinformation campaign is meant to confuse consumers into thinking that eggs are good for you.   Perhaps you have seen the advertisements for “The Incredible Edible Egg”.  Previous campaigns, however, have gotten them into hot water.  In fact, the USDA has prohibited the egg industry from calling eggs healthy, safe, low fat, healthful, nutritious, good for you, low calorie, or claims that they are part of a balanced diet!  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued the American Egg Board for running adds that were found to be false, misleading and deceptive. (Image courtesy of Dr. Joel Kahn)

The American Egg Board has funded numerous erroneous studies.   They measured fasting cholesterol the FOLLOWING day vs. just after meals to show that eating eggs has little effect on cholesterol levels in our blood.  This is simply not true or correct, as the intake of dietary cholesterol is high in our blood stream the first 7 hours after meals, and thus contributes to atherosclerotic plaque build up in our arteries.  Dr. Michael Greger explains this further in this video: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/.  I have more info below on cholesterol and saturated fat.

Egg Nutrition Facts

(Note the lower cholesterol propaganda)

Here is the vitamin break down in eggs along (with alternative nutrient sources):

Vitamin A 260 IU

(Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, ALL Leafy Greens, Winter Squash, and many more, are all higher than eggs).

Vitamin B2 0.26 mg

(Soy, Spinach, Tempeh and Mushooms are all higher than eggs)

Vitamin E 0.87 mg

(Sunflower Seeds, Greens, Broccoli, Avocado, and most other fruits and veggies are much higher than eggs)

Vitamin B12 0.5 mcg

(Fortified Nutritional Yeast has 24mcg of B12 – way more than eggs, Vegans should consider a B12 supplement)

Vitamin D 43.5 IU

(Recommended RDA is 1000 IU of Vitamin D – 14 minutes of sunshine, or even sun-dried mushrooms far exceed what is in an egg)

Calcium 25.00 mg

(Tofu, Sesame Seeds, and Greens are all considerably higher than eggs)

Iron 0.6 mg

(Soybeans, Lentils, Spinach, Sesame Seeds, Garbanzo Beans, Olives, and many others are all considerably higher than egg)

Zinc 0.52 mg

(Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Lentils, Garbanzo Beans, Cashews and Quinoa are all much higher than eggs)

Phosphorus 86.00 mg

(Soybeans, Pumpkin Seeds, Lentils, Tempeh, are all higher than eggs)

Iodine 27.00 mcg

(Potatoes, Cranberries, Sea Vegetables all surpass eggs considerably)

Selenium 15.4 mcg

(Tofu, Brown Rice, Mushrooms, and Sunflower Seeds are all higher than eggs)

Protein 6 g

(Hemp Hearts, Quinoa, All Beans, Nuts, Sprouted Grains, Farro, Pumpkin Seeds, and almost all whole grains beat out eggs on protein #RethinkProtein)

The Ugly Truth About Eggs:

Cholesterol

There are 185 mg of cholesterol in a large egg.  This is almost 2/3 of the recommended MAXIMUM daily intake of cholesterol!  Does dietary cholesterol  matter?  The egg industry would try to have you believe that is doesn’t matter but it does.

Let’s talk about this comprehensive study on cholesterol:

Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. 1. Evidence from genetic, epidemiologic, and clinical studies. A consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel – https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/38/32/2459/3745109

This was a VERY comprehensive review of the evidence that LDL cholesterol causes heart disease. In their review of the following:

• Several large meta-analyses of prospective observational epidemiologic studies with data from 1,194,767 participants in the studies.
• Evidence from Mendelian randomization studies involving more than 300,00 participants.
• Compelling evidence from randomized clinical controlled trials including almost 170,000 individuals

They Conclude:

Considered together, the strong and consistent evidence from the genetic studies, prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, Mendelian randomization studies, and randomized intervention trials discussed here, supported by mechanistic evidence to be presented in the second Consensus Statement on LDL causality, establishes that LDL is not merely a biomarker of increased risk but a causal factor in the pathophysiology of ASCVD.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) as a causal factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: key implications

• Cumulative LDL arterial burden is a central determinant for the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
• The lower the LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) level attained by agents that primarily target LDL receptors, the greater the clinical benefit accrued.
• Both proportional (relative) risk reduction and absolute risk reduction relate to the magnitude of LDL-C reduction.
• Lowering LDL-C in individuals at high cardiovascular risk earlier rather than later appears advisable, especially in those with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

This image is from the study:

In the following Meta-Analysis of 17 studies on cholesterol and egg consumption, the authors conclude: “The consumption of cholesterol increases the ratio of total to HDL-cholesterol concentrations, which would predict increased risk of coronary heart disease. Therefore, the advice to limit the consumption of eggs and other foods rich in dietary cholesterol may still be important in the prevention of coronary heart disease.”

Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in humans: a meta-analysis. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/73/5/885/4739583

Fat

Last year, the American Heart Association reviewed the scientific evidence (including recent studies) on the effects of dietary saturated fat intake – and its replacement by other types of fats, as well as carbohydrate intake – on cardiovascular disease. They looked at randomized controlled trials that lowered the intake of dietary saturated fat and replaced it with polyunsaturated fats, and they found that replacing the saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduced CVD by around 30%!!  They state:

“Replacement of saturated with unsaturated fats lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, a cause of atherosclerosis, linking biological evidence with incidence of CVD in populations and in clinical trials.”

Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/06/15/CIR.0000000000000510

Eggs are over 64% fat!  (70 calories per egg, 45 are from fat).

Choline and TMAO

Egg yolk contains 125.5 milligrams of choline.  TMAO or tri-methyl amine oxide is a chemical produced by intestinal bacteria when foods rich in choline and l-carnitine (in red meat)  are broken down.  Excessive TMAO (also in fish) causes atherosclerosis ( narrowing of arteries due to plaque buildup on the artery walls) which is cardiovascular disease and causes heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and peripheral vascular disease.

In this double-blind, randomized dietary intervention, eating eggs increased TMAO in the blood significantly.

Effect of egg ingestion on trimethylamine-N-oxide production in humans: a randomized, controlled, dose-response study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24944063

In fact, high TMAO indicates that you may be six times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.

Gut microbiota-dependent trimethylamine N-oxide in acute coronary syndromes: a prognostic marker for incident cardiovascular events beyond traditional risk factors. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28077467

In this cross-sectional study of 23,417 asymptomatic adult men and women without a history of cardiovascular disease, egg consumption was associated with an increased prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis and an increase in coronary calcification.

Egg consumption and coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic men and women. https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(15)01350-7/fulltext

Other Bacteria and Parasites in Eggs

Eggs contain a plethora of bacteria and parasites : Campylobacter bacteria, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus Aureus, to name a few.

On September 8th, 2018 there was a massive egg recall due to Salmonella food poisoning from eggs.  Just a few days ago (October 4th, 2018), there was an article that the Salmonella illnesses expanded to 7 states.

Camplyobacter bacteria is another dangerous pathogen found in chicken and eggs.  Around 70% of ALL raw chicken tested positive for Camplyobacter. One drop of contaminated raw chicken can kill a child.  I have written about this in my article ‘Camplybacter In Chicken Is A Dangerous Parasite‘.  In addition, this bacteria and others that are found in animal based products can cause autoimmune disease.  More about this in my article ‘Molecular Mimicry – How Eating Animal Based Products Causes Autoimmune Disease‘.

If you would like to learn more about parasites in animal based ‘food’, read my article ‘Bacteria and Parasites in Animal Based ‘Food’ Products‘.

The Egg Industry

Despite the marketing of ‘cage-free’ and ‘organic’ eggs, and pictures of happy chickens on egg cartons, the egg industry is incredibly cruel. The image below is of Eggland’s Best cage-free’ ‘organic’ eggs operation.

Female chicks are sent to egg farms, where, due to decades of genetic manipulation and selective breeding, they produce 250 to 300 eggs per year. In nature, wild hens lay only 10 to 15 eggs annually.

Male chicks are useless to the egg industry, and are disposed of in a number of different ways, including burying them alive, and grinding them up alive in an industrial grinder.

WARNING – The video below is graphic and will show you the egg industry and its incredibly cruel practices.

The Truth About The Egg Industry:

If you are still consuming eggs, for the many reasons outlined above, I urge you not to continue doing so.   ALL plants have protein and there are clean sources of protein that are packed with nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants.  The largest and strongest land mammals including Silverback Gorillas, Elephants, Rhino’s, and Horses are herbivores and only eat plants.  Where do they get their protein?  #RethinkProtein  – See image below with some great plant based protein sources.  (Read: ‘Do Gorillas Eat Meat?‘)

If you have any questions about this article or any of my content, as always, feel free to reach out to me directly.

In Good Health,

JT