Useful Information on Eggs

[Urban]

Originally Posted by Darksky

English for the guys that ride the short bus :]

Shut up and eat your eggs

[MikeMartial]

Came across two excellent links today regarding eggs:

The first is an eggs buyer-guide from mark's Daily Apple:

Egg Purchasing Guide | Mark's Daily Apple

The second is from a pro-cholesterol website I'm not familiar with; I can't vouch for the rest of the information on the website, but this page has an excellent breakdown of the almighty (albeit pointless) debate on White vs Yolk:

The Incredible, Edible Egg Yolk

[Wally Champ]

The latter article states that EPA 'probably doesn't belong in a mammalian body'? Doesn't that fly in the face of a lot of what we believe?

[MikeMartial]

Originally Posted by Wally Champ

The latter article states that EPA 'probably doesn't belong in a mammalian body'? Doesn't that fly in the face of a lot of what we believe?

Good catch, Wally. It's the first I've ever heard of EPA interfering with AA utilization. Seeing as how there's a massive body of research on EPA and DHA, you'd think if this was an issue, it would have been brought up.

This is how I see it: Arachidonic acid is a pro-inflammatory O6; the AA cascade system results in inflammatory components like prostaglandins and leukotrines. You know how the anti-inflammtory, analgesic, and anti-pyretic properties of ASA (Aspirin) work? By blocking the production of prostaglandin and thromboxane through COX inhibition---what AA produces.

So to me, EPA blocking AA isn't a bad thing.

[Wally Champ]

I'm trying to read up on it, I have some college chemistry but this stuff is a little out of my league. Interesting stuff.

[MikeMartial]

Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations.

<!--AuthorList-->Fernandez ML.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA. maria-luz.fernandez@uconn.edu
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Extensive research has not clearly established a link between egg consumption and risk for coronary heart disease. The effects of egg intake on plasma lipids and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) atherogenicity in healthy populations need to be addressed. RECENT FINDINGS: The lack of connection between heart disease and egg intake could partially be explained by the fact that dietary cholesterol increases the concentrations of both circulating LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in those individuals who experience an increase in plasma cholesterol following egg consumption (hyperresponders). It is also important to note that 70% of the population experiences a mild increase or no alterations in plasma cholesterol concentrations when challenged with high amounts of dietary cholesterol (hyporesponders). Egg intake has been shown to promote the formation of large LDL, in addition to shifting individuals from the LDL pattern B to pattern A, which is less atherogenic. Eggs are also good sources of antioxidants known to protect the eye; therefore, increased plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in individuals consuming eggs are also of interest, especially in those populations susceptible to developing macular degeneration and eye cataracts. SUMMARY: For these reasons, dietary recommendations aimed at restricting egg consumption should not be generalized to include all individuals. We need to acknowledge that diverse healthy populations experience no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol but, in contrast, they may have multiple beneficial effects by the inclusion of eggs in their regular diet.
PMID: 16340654 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[ronin0352]

Thread necro... oh, nevermind j/k

Thanks for posting this one Mike. I have a friend who should be very interested in the specifics of this one. I'll send him the findings & link him here.

[MikeMartial]

Egg-Irony: High Cholesterol Food May Reduce Blood Pressure

Main Category: Hypertension
Also Included In: Cholesterol; Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 19 Feb 2009 - 2:00 PST


Researchers in Canada are reporting evidence that eggs - often frowned upon for their high cholesterol content - may reduce another heart disease risk factor - high blood pressure.

They describe identification of egg proteins that act like a popular group of prescription medications in lowering blood pressure. The report appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the new study, Jianping Wu and Kaustav Majumder note that eggs are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein and other nutrients. Egg consumption, however, has decreased during the last 40 years amid concerns about cholesterol. Recent studies do suggest that healthy people can eat eggs without increasing their heart disease risk. Other research hinted that certain egg proteins might have effects similar to ACE inhibitors, prescription drugs used to treat high blood pressure.

Pursuing that lead in laboratory studies, the scientists identified several different peptides in boiled and fried eggs that act as potent ACE inhibitors. The scientists showed that enzymes in the stomach and small intestine produce these peptides from eggs. Fried eggs had the highest ACE inhibitory activity. It will take studies in humans to determine if the egg proteins do lower blood pressure in people, the scientists emphasized. Funding for the research came from livestock and poultry industry groups.

"Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptides from Simulated in Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion of Cooked Eggs"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE

[Benji Snap]

Where does the 'only 17% of the protein in a raw egg is digestible' theory come from?

[MikeMartial]

I thought this would be the appropriate place for this; Stephan from Whole Health Source just posted a great article on the value of pasture eggs vs conventional. The numbers don't lie. I readily admit it can be hard to find genuine, free range/pasture organic eggs; even if you can, manufacturers are becoming savy, and slapping labels on by meeting minimum standards.

Pastured Eggs


Eggs are an exceptionally nutritious food. It's not surprising, considering they contain everything necessary to build a chick! But all eggs are not created equal.. Anyone who has seen the tall, orange yolk, viscous white, and tough shell of a true pastured egg knows they're profoundly different. So has anyone who's tasted one. This has been vigorously denied by the American Egg Board and the Egg Nutrition Council, primarily representing conventional egg farmers, which assert that eggs from giant smelly barns are nutritionally equal to their pastured counterparts.

In 2007, the magazine Mother Earth News decided to test that claim. They sent for pastured eggs from 14 farms around the U.S., tested them for a number of nutrients, and compared them to the figures listed in the USDA Nutrient Database for conventional eggs. Here are the results per 100 grams for conventional eggs, the average of all the pastured eggs, and eggs from Skagit River Ranch, which sells at my farmer's market:

Vitamin A:

• Conventional: 487 IU
• Pastured avg: 792 IU
• Skagit Ranch: 1013 IU

Vitamin D:

• Conventional: 34 IU
• Pastured avg: 136 - 204 IU
• Skagit Ranch: not determined

Vitamin E:

• Conventional: 0.97 mg
• Pastured avg: 3.73 mg
• Skagit Ranch: 4.02 mg

Beta-carotene:

• Conventional: 10 mcg
• Pastured avg: 79 mcg
• Skagit Ranch: 100 mcg

Omega-3 fatty acids:

• Conventional: 0.22 g
• Pastured avg: 0.66 g
• Skagit Ranch: 0.74 g

Looks like the American Egg Board and the Egg Nutrition Council have some egg on their faces...

Eggs also contain vitamin K2, with the amount varying substantially according to the hen's diet. Guess where the A, D, K2, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids are? In the yolk of course. Throwing the yolk away turns this powerhouse into a bland, nutritionally unimpressive food.

It's important to note that "free range" supermarket eggs are nutritionally similar to conventional eggs. The reason pastured eggs are so nutritious is that the chickens get to supplement their diets with abundant fresh plants and insects. Having little doors on the side of a giant smelly barn just doesn't replicate that.