Why eggs are the ultimate power breakfast (go on, eat two)

Forget fears about cholesterol and heart disease, new research suggests an egg a day is more than OK. Go on, have two.

An egg a day … is more than OK. Picture: iStock

We were last urged to go to work on an egg in the 1960s and it seems the advice has turned full circle as eggs have fallen back in favour with scientists, who now say they could be a saviour for heart health.

Reporting in the journal eLife, researchers from Peking University reached the conclusion that moderate egg consumption increases the amount of heart-healthy metabolites after studying the diets and analysing blood samples of 4,778 people, some of whom had an existing cardiovascular disease. They found that those who ate one egg a day were at a much lower risk of heart disease than those who consumed them less frequently.

It’s the latest evidence supporting egg consumption and comes more than a decade since government recommended limits on egg intake were quietly lifted. Until the early 2000s we were advised to restrict eggs to three each per week, out of concern that egg yolks in particular were harmful to the heart because they are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. A single yolk contains as much as 186mg of dietary cholesterol, more than many other commonly consumed foods. Since too much cholesterol in the bloodstream is known to accumulate on artery walls, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes, eating too many eggs was considered a risky habit.

Health myths shattered

However, Rhiannon Lambert, a registered nutritionist and author of The Science of Nutrition, says the myths surrounding eating eggs and increased risks for heart disease have since been categorically disproved by scientists.

“It’s the amount of saturated fats that we consume from foods such as red meat and full-fat dairy products that has much more of a damaging effect on our blood cholesterol levels than cholesterol-containing foods,” she says.

Soft boiled egg being served with slices of bread

“These saturated fats change the way receptors in the liver handle cholesterol so that it builds up in the blood, whereas eating cholesterol-containing foods such as eggs is not harmful in the same way.”

Now even the NHS says that a couple of eggs a day is perfectly acceptable unless you have been medically advised to limit consumption. “Healthy adults should consume less than 300mg per day of dietary cholesterol, which is the amount in about three to four eggs,” Lambert says. “So eating eggs every day is perfectly safe.”

Cracking start

There are other reasons to start your day with an egg. They provide an array of nutrients to rival a supplement including magnesium, iron, selenium, vitamin D and B vitamins, choline – a vitamin-like compound used to make cell membranes – and phosphorus (about 91mg per medium egg) that is important for healthy bones and teeth. With about 6.4g protein per medium egg, mostly from the white, they provide about 13 per cent of an adult’s daily protein requirement, important for muscle maintenance and growth as well as general health. “Protein also slows glucose absorption, helping to regulate blood sugar,” says the nutrition therapist Ian Marber. Three years ago Finnish scientists reported that an egg a day may help to create a blood metabolite profile that could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Low in carbs, fat and therefore calories – there are about 75 in a large egg – they are also good for the waistline. A 2020 study from the University of South Australia showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast consumed fewer calories at an eat-what-you like lunch buffet than those who had started the day with cereals and orange juice.

“Eggs are a fantastic breakfast staple, not least because of the protein and vitamins they contain,” Marber says. “Add avocado, spinach or tomato with some wholegrain bread and seeds and you have all the fibre and nutrients you could need.”

The Times