Eggs, a common food in daily life, are rich in a variety of nutrients. Boiled eggs, omelettes, egg fried rice... There are many ways to eat, and it is loved by many people. But no matter how rich the nutrition is, no matter how much you like to eat, you must also pay attention to the amount.
Recently, Mr. Wang in Hubei loves to eat eggs, as few as 4 a day on weekdays, as many as 6-7, plus drinking less water, suffering from gallbladder stones.
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Many people see this news and have questions, can eating more eggs really eat gallbladder stones? How should eggs be eaten? Is egg yolk good or egg white? I'll tell you the answer today.
Why do I eat 4 eggs a day and gallbladders cause stones?
Gallstones are common and frequent diseases in surgery, which can be divided into cholesterol type, biliary pigment type and mixed type according to different components, the most common of which is cholesterol stone.
Although cholesterol is the culprit of gallstones, it is also an indispensable nutrient for the human body, mainly synthesized by the liver, which can provide 1.0 to 1.2 grams of cholesterol per day; there are also some secondary sources of exogenous cholesterol from foods such as eggs. In addition to being used for metabolism, some of the cholesterol is discharged into the intestines through bile and excreted with feces.
Cholesterol solubility is poor, lecithin is needed to maintain its solubility state, if there is too much cholesterol in the bile or insufficient lecithin, it will cause cholesterol to not be completely dissolved, crystallization or precipitation, the formation of sediment-like stones, over time, will form a "stone" shaped stone and gradually grow, irritating the inner wall of the gallbladder, resulting in pain.
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The cholesterol content in eggs is not low, the cholesterol content in an egg is about 185 mg (the yolk in an egg is about 17g, while the content of cholesterol in the yolk is 1085mg/100g), eating four eggs a day means that the intake of nearly 740mg of cholesterol per day, far more than the recommended intake of 300mg/day, so the human body needs to excrete excess cholesterol from the body, in this process, too much cholesterol exceeds the carrying capacity of bile, eventually leading to stone formation.
Research on eggs, cholesterol and health is inconclusive.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health believe that dietary cholesterol does not significantly increase blood cholesterol; dietary cholesterol can have complex effects on both good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL), so the effects of cholesterol need to be considered in the food system.
A 2020 review article on the correlation between dietary cholesterol and cardiovascular disease published by Circulation concluded that there was no conclusive association between dietary cholesterol and blood lipids, blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and cardiovascular disease.
A 2021 study by the Zhejiang University team published in PLOS Medicion suggested that eating more eggs was associated with higher cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality and believed that this was mainly due to high cholesterol in eggs; the European Journal of Public Health published a study by China Agricultural University that believed that more than 6 eggs a week increased the risk of death by 35%.
There are also studies that believe that the metabolism of cholesterol and bile acids is closely related to the intestinal flora, and the dysbacteriosis of diabetic patients may lead to abnormal cholesterol metabolism, so the study in the Journal of the American Heart Association believes that diabetic people should limit egg intake.
How many eggs per day is appropriate?
Although there is no conclusive conclusion on the optimal intake of eggs, few studies affirm the consumption of more than 3 eggs per day.
On the whole, the matter of eating eggs needs to be considered in the dietary structure. If the consumption of meat, milk, aquatic products, etc. is high, the intake of eggs can be reduced; but if it is mainly vegetarian, the intake of eggs can be slightly increased.
Mainland diets are mainly plant-based foods, so the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) recommend "40-50 grams of eggs per person per day", and the "Guidelines for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in China's Healthy Lifestyle" issued in February 2020 recommend that healthy adults consume 3-6 eggs per week.
What is the nutritional value of eggs?
As a cheap, convenient, and nutritious food, eggs shouldn't just be considered "high-cholesterol foods." It is a good source of protein, a 60 grams of whole egg without eggshell contains 6.3 grams of protein (about 3 grams in protein, 3.3 grams in egg yolks), which is a complete protein, the amino acid pattern is closest to the amino acid pattern required by the body, easy to digest and absorb.
At the same time, eggs are rich in vitamins, in addition to B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K and calcium, iron, zinc and other minerals, as well as rich in lecithin, choline and lutein, and brain cognition, memory, movement, sensory function are related.
Is egg yolk good, or is egg white good?
Some people prefer a rich yolk, and some people prefer protein that doesn't contain fat. Although egg yolks contain high cholesterol, they are also rich in choline, which can improve memory, and the content of minerals and vitamins is much higher than that of protein. Personal taste aside, whole eggs are ideal from a nutritional point of view.
Table 1 Nutritional content comparison of egg white and egg yolk in eggs (data source: USDA data center)
Due to the high fat content of eggs, cooking methods that reduce the oxidation of egg fat are recommended, and boiled eggs, hibiscus eggs, custard, etc. are healthier ways than omelettes and scrambled eggs.
Can I eat a loose egg or a raw egg?
Eggs to be cooked mainly because the excretion of poultry and raw eggs are done in the cloaca, so the surface of the eggs with the remaining germs in the feces, the use of high temperature can kill the bacteria, improve the safety factor of the eggs.
However, if the sanitary conditions of raw eggs are better, the amount of raw bacteria is low, and occasionally eating raw will not be a safety issue, but considering the anti-biotin factor (heat intolerance) present in raw eggs and their short digestion process of semi-fluid, long-term uncooked eggs are still not a good choice.
Of course, not all people are suitable for eating eggs, coronary heart disease, hypercholesterolemia patients, gallstone patients, renal insufficiency, liver cirrhosis of elevated blood ammonia people and protein allergies are not suitable for eating eggs. If it is a person with hyperlipidemia and diabetes, it is recommended to have less than 3 per week.
Expert of this article: Li Lin, Doctor and Professor of Food Science, Zhongshan College, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Food Safety Expert of Zhongshan City
Source: Popular Science China
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