Eggs—omelets, quiches, scrambles, frittatas and more—are a delicious and satisfying part of Atkins for many of you. And I’m sure you’ve read that the poor egg has been accused of raising cholesterol levels and increasing health risks. Not true. In reality, eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can consume. One large egg provides 6 grams of high-quality, easily digested protein and all the essential amino acids.
Eggs are also a significant source of a number of vitamins and minerals. The yolk of a large egg has about 4 to 5 grams of fat, mainly the unsaturated type, and also contains choline, an important substance necessary for fat breakdown and brain function. Eggs also provide high-quality protein at a lower cost than many other animal-protein foods. And research continues to show that eggs are a perfectly acceptable part of your daily meal plan.
In new analysis published this month in BMJ, researchers reviewed eight studies including 263,938 subjects and concluded that eating up to an egg a day does not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
More Good News
A large body of research over five decades has revealed no association between eating eggs and heart disease. Here are some of the highlights:
• No impact on cholesterol or triglycerides or blood. Research by A. I. Qureshi et al., published in Medical Science Monitor in 2007, involving 9,500 overweight but otherwise healthy adults showed that eating one or more eggs a day had no impact on cholesterol or triglyceride levels and didn’t increase the subjects’ risk of heart disease or stroke. There also appears to be an association between egg consumption and decreased blood pressure.
So go ahead and enjoy your breakfast—or lunch or dinner—of eggs in all their wondrous variety, without a smidgen of guilt.