Herb filled eggs

eggs, they're good for you!

Nutritional scientists have been debating the health benefits and hazards of consuming eggs for the past three decades. Since the current debate surfaced in 1972, health experts have yet to resolve the issue as to whether eggs are responsible for high plasma cholesterol levels, which put one at risk for heart disease. The new slogan attached to the recent drive is, “An egg a day is OK!” 

An article titled “The Good News About Eggs Just Got Better,” on the Egg Nutrition Center’s Web site claims the study that was originally released regarding the egg health warning caused the American public to slip into a fat-phobic and cholesterol-phobic mindset. Thirty years later, researchers are trying to reverse these phobias with the results of more current studies on the effects of eggs. 

Research findings released by Frank Hu and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health have sparked the recent eggs are good kick. In a study conducted with more than 117,000 individuals over an 8- to 14-year time frame, researchers found no relationship between heart disease relative to risk between study participants who consumed less than one egg a week, and those who consumed more than one egg a day. This finding holds true for men and women. 

Although this is one study of many, it is a powerful defense for why it is safe for individuals to consume eggs. After all, eggs are a beneficial component of one’s diet. 

"Eggs provide high quality protein and many essential nutrients. They can be a source of omega 3 fatty acids,” said Rosemary Walzem, associate professor of nutritional biochemistry at Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science. “An egg a day appears to be okay in terms of disease risk for most healthy people.” 

The Ohio Poultry Association (OPA) outlines some basic egg benefits: 

• Eggs are a natural source of powerful nutrition, and are inexpensive and easy to prepare.
• Eggs are protein-rich, low in sodium and contain a variety of vitamins and minerals.

The fact that eggs are a rich source of protein is unarguable. OPA reports the amount of protein in eggs outweighs the competition with a 94 percent protein value. Compare this to milk at 85 percent, fish at 76 percent and beef at 74 percent. Not only is there a high level of protein in eggs, the protein is also high quality. According to Ohio State University ’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communication and Technology department, nutritionists consider the protein found in egg whites ideal. Other nutritional perks of eggs include low fat content, major source of iron, riboflavin, folate and several vitamins.

"(The) bottom line from my perspective is that consumers need to not be so fearful of any given food, but to work to have a healthy, balanced diet — this isn’t so easy all the time, but if you work at it each day hopefully on average you will achieve improved diet quality,” Walzem said. 

Marissa Mullett is a freelance writer from Union County.

Sources and Sites of Interest:

Egg Nutrition Center : www.enc-online.org/

Ohio Poultry Association: www.ohiopoultry.org

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