Diet/Nutrition Myths: Eggs, Egg Whites, High Cholesterol, and A Healthy Diet

In the vastly spanning arena of publicly-circulated diet, health, and nutrition myths, eggs really--sorry, I can't resist--take a beating. People believe eggs are an unhealthy diet choice, that eggs will give them high cholesterol, ultimately that eggs should be drastically limited in or omitted from a healthy diet. None of this is true, yet most people unhesitatingly repeat such nutrition misinformation.

It's classic rumor-mill syndrome, and it penetrates all areas of diet, health, and nutrition information. Don't believe me? Certainly the greatest example is the mass delusion that Vitamin C will help with a cold. That was an unfounded conjecture--rejected from the beginning by the medical and nutrition communities--made 40 years ago by chemist Linus Pauling. Despite two Nobel Prizes (Chemistry and Peace), he has always been considered, in academic circles, a nutrition quack. His Vitamin C claim has yet to be supported by any evidence, and has actually been refuted by many tests. Pauling also said a large quantity of Vitamin C in the diet has profound benefits for preventing and treating cancer. Ironically, despite his and his wife's long-term heavy regimen, she died of stomach cancer and he of prostate cancer that metastasized to his liver. Yes, nutrition lies lead amazing lives.

But back to eggs... like a yolk from its albumen (whites), let's separate eggs fact from eggs fiction. What a perfect segue into...

EGGS NUTRITION MYTH #1: Eating egg whites rather than whole eggs is the healthy diet alternative.

The nutritional value of egg whites is practically nil. The whites have about half an egg's protein content, yes, and almost all of its sodium. That's pretty much it, barring trace amounts of other nutrients. The healthiest diet, of course, operates by maximizing nutrition value with every bite. In this sense of nutrition, albumen is fairly pointless, particularly when contrasted with egg yolks.

From a nutrition standpoint, egg yolks are the most nourishing food. Period. They contain almost every mineral and vitamin the human diet requires, the notable exception being our pal from above, Vitamin C. This claim is rivaled by only one other consumable product--wheat grass juice. Suffice to say, if you've never experienced that stuff, you've led a blessed life.

The protein in eggs is the best grade for the human diet. Without getting too, um, sciencey, different foods provide different proteins. The key variant is the digestibility factor--how much of the protein is absorbed by the body as amino acids. The protein in eggs is an impressive 97% digestible, practically a nutrition miracle, and its amino acids are superior in promoting growth and tissue health (milk protein's are second best).

To discard the protein and other nutrition benefits in the yolks of eggs is counterproductive to a healthy diet. Stop ordering those egg white omelettes. Even to forgo the flavor of the yolk is a damn shame.

EGGS NUTRITION MYTH #2: Eating eggs causes high cholesterol.

This sentiment is not merely an egg fiction. It's a mass-misunderstanding of how cholesterol works. Eggs just happen to be the most prominent innocent bystander. The following is, of course, Cliff's Notes-speak about complex workings (I'm not even going to get into the vital distinctions between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, lest this run on out of control)...

Roughly ¼ of your body's blood cholesterol comes from your diet. The other ¾ of blood cholesterol is produced by your body, and is entirely unrelated to food and cholesterol consumption in your diet.

What does this mean, practically speaking? That yes, your dietary intake of cholesterol does impact your blood cholesterol levels. However, the impact is fairly insignificant. The most important factor of your cholesterol levels is entirely out of your control--genetics. How much cholesterol your body will produce and how much it will absorb is congenital, in your natural programming. High cholesterol medications slow your liver's production--they have nothing to do with food, diet, or nutrition.

There's a crucial point to make here. The vast majority of the time, food doesn't cause high cholesterol, your genes do. However, consumed cholesterol can linger and significant quantities will nudge your levels up. So, when you have high cholesterol, even though it's mostly biological, it is necessary to watch your intake via your diet. But food didn't do it to you, nor will exiling cholesterol from your diet fix the problem; it will only help a bit. An egg, two eggs, will have no bearing on your blood cholesterol levels. The 212 milligram cholesterol content gets shouted through nutrition bullhorns, but because only ¼ of cholesterol comes from your diet, only a very small percentage of the egg's content is retained.

The moral is that eating eggs will not give you high cholesterol. And while they should be somewhat limited in your diet if you have pre-existing high cholesterol, they will not, in moderation, do you any harm.

You can probably sense that I'm trying to tread a tricky middle ground, as this is essential diet/nutrition/health information. Theoretically, I could kill one guy out there who's in really bad shape, while the rest of you millions (perhaps I flatter myself-- you dozens) would be absolutely fine. This is why there's no such thing as an officially recommended quantity of eggs for your diet. It varies from person to person. Don't believe any nutrition information source that quotes a number. Let me say--I am NOT a doctor; every individual with cause for concern must discuss their own risk factors and diet with a physician.

That said, there has been extensive research that supports the claim that eating up to seven eggs a week does not increase heart disease risks (the primary concern of high oxidized cholesterol levels) in healthy adults. Also consider that Japan, the country with the highest consumption of eggs in their collective diet, has one of the lowest occurrences of heart disease in the world.

One final, simple point to consider: the amazing health and nutrition benefits of an egg far outweigh any minor drawbacks.

Don't believe everything you hear--especially when it comes to health and nutrition--and keep eggs in your diet!