Are eggs healthy food?

When I was young, everyone thought eggs were nutritious food, very filling, but at that time, everyone was too poor to eat eggs. Then life improved, and the medical establishment said eggs are high in cholesterol, so limit them to no more than four a week. Now, there are some so-called nutrition experts say, eggs have been rehabilitated, can be open to eat, eat a few a day no problem. So is it really good for your health to eat eggs? How many eggs can you eat a day?

Eggs are a very nutritious food indeed. An egg contains about 6 grams of protein. The protein of an egg contains all the amino acids needed by the human body, and the proportion of various amino acids is reasonable. Basically, it can be used by the human body to synthesize proteins. If you're a high-intensity athlete who needs to build muscle, adding egg protein after a workout can boost muscle protein synthesis. However, the study found that once a supplement of more than 20g of egg protein, or the equivalent of three eggs, is converted into energy rather than boosting protein synthesis. So from this perspective, eat no more than three eggs a meal. If the meal is accompanied by other high-protein foods, such as milk and meat, reduce the number of eggs.

Eggs also contain a variety of micronutrients, one of which is particularly rich in choline. Choline is important for fetal and infant brain development, so pregnant and lactating women should pay special attention to the intake of choline. Pregnant women should get 450 mg of choline a day, and lactating women should get 550 mg of choline a day. Eggs are one of the most cholinergic foods, with one egg containing about 150 milligrams of choline. Other foods also contain choline, so it's not always necessary to eat eggs to get choline.

In addition to nutrients, eggs contain other substances that have health benefits. Eggs, for example, are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that are important components of the retina and are important for visual function. Many foods contain lutein and zeaxanthin, but the two substances found in eggs are easily absorbed by the body. Experiments have shown that eating eggs increases lutein and zeaxanthin levels in the body, which is good for eye health and can prevent certain eye diseases.

But there are also things in eggs that are bad for your health. An egg contains about 2 grams of saturated fat, a little more than a cup of whole milk. One egg has 200 milligrams of cholesterol. Previous medical advice was no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day, so no more than one egg a day. Given that other foods may also contain cholesterol, the old advice was to eat no more than four eggs a week to avoid excess cholesterol. Cholesterol restrictions are aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease, but while a few studies have found that eating an egg a day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, more studies have found that eating an egg a day has little effect on blood cholesterol levels and no increase in cardiovascular risk. So now there's no more than four eggs a week.

So does that mean the egg is free to eat? Also is not. Eating one egg a day does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but if you eat two or more eggs a day, we don't know. And that's for healthy people. Several studies have found that egg consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes, while others have found that egg consumption increases the risk of diabetes, although the risk is not high.

So for now, the health benefits of eating an egg a day should outweigh the risks, but eating too much increases the risks. For athletes who want to build muscle and pregnant and lactating women who want to take choline supplements, they don't have to worry too much about the long-term risk. They can eat more eggs, but they don't have to eat more than three a day.

The health risks of eggs come from saturated fat and cholesterol, both of which are in the yolk. If you don't eat egg yolk, only eat white, is it possible to get rid of this restriction? Yes, but the micronutrients that eggs are good for the body are also in the yolk, and the protein is nothing but water. Protein eat more human body can not use, will convert into fat storage, it will make people fat. So even if it's egg whites, it's not something you can eat freely.