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Which will you choose, the wisdom of humans or the wisdom of Mother Nature?

Eggs have gotten a bum rap - and all because they contain cholesterol. In our great wisdom, we humans have "improved on Mother Nature": we've advised eating only the white of the egg, which contains no cholesterol, and we've even manufactured "egg beaters", throwing out the evil, cholesterol-containing yolk and providing only the white - with some additives for color, preservation, and cooking qualities, and to replace the vitamins we threw out with the yolk, of course.

We know the white is good - it's protein! And protein is good, right? But did you know that nearly half the protein of an egg is in the yolk? And that the yolk is the part that contains nearly all of the egg's vitamins and minerals?

Think about it - a whole, living, moving creature can grow and come out of that egg without any input from the outside, except for warmth. Doesn't that tell us that there is complete nutrition in that egg? A chicken doesn't grow from just an egg white.

So, let's look at the egg/cholesterol issue. It has been amply shown that dietary cholesterol (i.e., the cholesterol that you eat) doesn't affect serum cholesterol (i.e., the cholesterol that is measured in your blood) very much. Even Ancel Keys, the "father" of the hypothesis that dietary fat leads to increased serum cholesterol and then to heart disease, published work showing no relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol.1 And, to top it off, serum cholesterol is not a good indicator of heart disease or predictor of heart attack. More than half of the people who suffer heart attacks have cholesterol levels within the medically acceptable range. It's highly possible that the emphasis on cholesterol as a causal agent in heart disease is misplaced.

To bring the issue more specifically to the consumption of eggs: The Framingham Study, one of the largest and longest nutritional studies conducted in the US, showed no association between egg consumption and myocardial infarction (heart attack), cardiovascular disease, or all-cause mortality.2 A more recently published report, from the Physicians' Health Study, came to a conclusion that egg consumption had no effect on the incidence of heart attack or stroke but that eating more than 6 eggs per week increased all-cause mortality.3 As this was an epidemiological study, it shows correlations. Correlation, however, does not imply causation. The authors of this study also pointed out that those men who ate more than 6 eggs per week were older, fatter, more likely to drink and smoke, and less likely to exercise. So, is it fair to blame the egg?

It is, of course, wise to eat a diversity of foods and not overly depend on one food - even eggs. And, if you are allergic to eggs, then it is a good idea to avoid eating them. But, for those of us who are not, eggs are a good source of nutrition - one of Mother Nature's whole foods, providing high quality protein, good fats, phospholipids, lecithin, and vitamins and minerals.

1 Keys A et al. Diet and serum cholesterol in man: lack of effect of dietary cholesterol. J. Nutr. 1956; 59(1):39.

2 Dawber TR et al. Eggs, serum cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1982; 36:617-25.

3 Djousse L & Graziano JM. Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Physicians' Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 87(4):964-9.

Learn more about this author, Stephanie Briggs.
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