Eggs, under the low-key appearance, hide a nutritious heart: rich in protein and 17 kinds of amino acids, vitamin A, calcium, iron and other ingredients, but also contain phospholipids, choline that modern people are easy to lack... Therefore, it is also known as "all-round nutritious food".
Coupled with the diversified methods of steaming, boiling, frying and stir-frying, it has captured the stomachs of countless people and has become a regular customer at the table.
However, eggs have a high cholesterol content, which is also controversial, and some people treat it as a cheap "nutritional product" and eat it every day; Some people are worried that it will become a "vascular killer", and even rumors on the Internet that an increase of 50g of eggs per day will cause a mortality rate of 9% from cardiovascular disease...
So the question is, are eggs harmful or beneficial? Today, I will take you to study and research together! After reading it, you can solve the confusion.
1
Eggs have high cholesterol, is it "friend or foe"? Domestic and international research tells you the answer!
Each egg contains about 141–234 mg of cholesterol, but it does not mean that eating eggs can trigger cardiovascular events.
(1) A mainland study followed up 28,000 people without cardiovascular disease for nearly 10 years and found that one egg a day did not significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but was beneficial to reduce the risk of stroke.
(2) The School of Public Health of Peking University included 416213 people to explore the association between egg intake frequency and the risk of cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, major coronary events, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke.
The results found that those who ate eggs every day had an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular events and an 18% lower risk of death than those who basically did not eat eggs.
In fact, in addition to cholesterol, eggs also have many ingredients that are conducive to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, such as a variety of B vitamins, betaine, lutein, zeaxanthin and a small amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, so moderate intake will not threaten health, but also bring various benefits:
1 Improves brain function
Eggs contain a lot of protein, vitamins and antioxidants, which can improve the function and executive function of the prefrontal lobe of the brain. A study by the University of Eastern Finland also confirmed the benefits of eating eggs for the brain.
The study enrolled nearly 2,500 subjects aged 42 to 60, one group eating one egg each morning and the other eating normally. After 22 years of follow-up, participants were tested for memory, cognition, and psychology.
The results found that the test scores of the participants who ate eggs were generally better, and the proportion of Alzheimer's disease was much lower than that of the group that did not eat eggs.
2 Improve glucose metabolism
Protein, amino acids, potassium, magnesium and other nutrients in eggs help restore islet function, improve the body's ability to metabolize sugar, and also help inhibit inflammation in the body, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
In 2015, a study from the University of Eastern Finland published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 4 eggs a week reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38%.
3 Helps lower blood pressure
Research published in Scientific Reports by the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland shows that eating chicken and eggs, which are naturally rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, can help lower blood pressure.
4 Protect the liver
The protein in eggs has a repairing effect on liver tissue damage; Lecithin in egg yolks promotes the regeneration of liver cells; It can also increase the amount of plasma protein in the human body, enhance the body's metabolic function and immune function.
Therefore, for people with liver damage, it is very good to eat an egg every morning.
2
How many eggs is best to eat a day?
This "upper limit" needs to be in mind
1 3~6 eggs per week, can improve blood lipids
A study published by Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences pointed out that for Chinese adults, eating 3~6 eggs a week can significantly improve blood lipid metabolism.
The study included 60,952 adults, and after one year of follow-up, it was found that people who ate 3-6 eggs per week had better blood lipid indicators than those who ate < 3 eggs per week, which were manifested as:
The levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol decreased by 0.606, 1.465, 0.848 and 1.071mg/dl, respectively, while the levels of HDL cholesterol increased by 0.461mg/dl.
2 More than 6 per week, high risk of death
A research team from China Agricultural University published a study in the European Journal of Public Health showing that eating too many eggs is not good for health, and the intake of eggs should not exceed 6 per week.
The researchers recruited 9444 subjects aged 45-64 years and found that egg consumption was closely related to the risk of death after 14 years - the risk of death did not change significantly in subjects who consumed less than 3 eggs per week and 3~6 subjects, while subjects who consumed more than 6 eggs per week increased the risk of death by 35%.
In general, the general population can eat 3-6 eggs per week, while patients with high blood lipids and cholecystitis should be appropriately "reduced".
3
There is a best way to eat eggs.
But these 4 are not nutritious and dangerous
Steamed eggs are the best way to eat eggs, the absorption rate and nutrients are the highest, but not too long, in the boiling state to maintain 3-5 minutes, egg white solidification, egg yolk just solidified, soft texture, golden color, at this time the degree of oxidation of nutrients is relatively low.
However, many people think that boiled eggs have no taste, so there are various ways to eat, but it should be noted that the following four ways to eat will not only lose nutrition, but also may bring harm.
1 raw egg, loose egg
Eggs are susceptible to a variety of pathogenic bacteria, such as the common Salmonella and E. coli. These bacteria can invade the inside of the egg through the micropores in the egg's shell, which can cause food poisoning.
About 10% of the surface of eggs in the mainland is contaminated with salmonella, and 64% of eggshell E. coli seriously exceeds the standard, so it is recommended to eat it cooked.
2 Omelette, fried eggs
Whether it is an omelette or a fried egg, more edible oil should be used, which is not only higher in calories, but also easy to lead to protein denaturation, and even scorching, producing harmful substances and affecting health.
3 Tea eggs, marinated eggs
Making tea eggs and marinated eggs requires the use of a lot of tea, spices, soy sauce, salt, etc., and it is easy to consume too much sodium. And in order to taste, the cooking time is often very long, easy to cause the loss of nutrients of eggs, excessive coagulation of protein, oxidation of cholesterol and fatty acids, which will further increase the burden on the stomach.
4 hairy eggs
Hairy eggs, also known as stillborn eggs, are eggs that do not hatch successfully.
Hairy eggs are easily contaminated by salmonella and the like, if the storage and processing are not standardized, it is very conducive to bacterial reproduction at a suitable temperature, and it is harmful to health after eating.
All in all, eating eggs is good for the body, the key is not to overdo it, and at the same time pay attention to the way of eating, in order to make eggs a real "nutritional product".
In 2023
China Women's Daily
Source/I'm a big doctor
Photo/Photogram
Editor-in-Charge/Pastoral Yellow Butterfly
Review/Yifan Producer/Zhifei