Whole Eggs or Egg Whites?

For many, many years, we've all heard that the egg yolk was evil.  It would not only increase our waistline, but it would also raise bad cholesterol and increase our risk for coronary artery disease.  So the chicken that we love to eat so much is producing a deadly pill of saturated fat and bad cholesterol?  We'll it's time to do a little investigating.

One study by Qureshi et al (2007) tracked almost 10,000 subjects over 20 years.  The 3 groups were divided into zero egg consumption, 1 to 6 eggs per week, and 6+ eggs per week.  The data concluded that all healthy individuals, even the 6+ egg group, did not increase their risk for heart disease.  There was, however, a possible link between diabetics who consumed 6+ eggs per week and heart disease.

Furthermore, Mayurasakorn et al (2008) concluded that egg consumption might benefit blood cholesterol.  A study of 35 healthy subjects consumed an extra egg every day for 12 weeks.  The experiment produced better HDL (good) cholesterol and no increase in LDL or triglycerides.

Moreover, Goodrow et al (2006) studied the effects of egg consumption and serum lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in older adults.  Once again, there was no increase in cholesterol after consuming 1 egg per day but there was an increase in serum lutein and zeaxanthin which may minimize age related macular degeneration.

In conclusion, healthy adults seem to benefit from the consumption of 6 to 12 eggs per week.  You no longer have to feel guilty about enjoying your scrambled eggs for breakfast.  More research is needed on the effects of egg consumption on diabetics and other special populations.