Eating eggs is linked to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. This fact sheet from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine summarizes the research and offers simple ways to replace eggs.
Why Consider Cutting Out Eggs
More than 60% of the calories in eggs come from fat, and much of that is saturated fat. An average-sized egg contains 186 milligrams of cholesterol, while people with high cholesterol, diabetes or cardiovascular disease are advised to keep their intake below 200 milligrams a day. Because the body already makes more cholesterol than it needs, there is no need to get any from food. Eggs also contain no fiber, one of the most important nutrients for long-term health.
Heart Disease
Decades of research link high-cholesterol foods such as eggs to higher blood cholesterol and heart disease. Some studies appear to show little effect, but that is because they add eggs to diets that are already high in cholesterol. A review in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine found that more than 85% of studies, regardless of who funded them, showed that eggs raise blood cholesterol, and industry-funded studies were more likely to downplay the findings.
Eggs also contain choline, which gut bacteria turn into a toxic compound called TMAO that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. A review of 14 studies found that people who eat eggs regularly have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, and even one egg a day significantly increases the risk of dying from heart disease. The risk is higher still for people with diabetes. Another study found that people eating more than 7 eggs a week had 80% higher coronary artery calcium scores. High cholesterol is also associated with breast cancer, joint pain and inflammation, and infertility.
Diabetes
High-fat diets cause insulin resistance by interfering with insulin's ability to move glucose from the blood into cells. People who eat three or more eggs a week have a higher risk of diabetes, and the risk rises with intake. A meta-analysis in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases found that every additional 100 milligrams of cholesterol a day raises type 2 diabetes risk by 5%. In the Physicians' Health Study I, which included more than 21,000 participants, eating 7 or more eggs a week was linked to about a 25% higher risk of death, and twice the risk for participants with diabetes. Two studies cited in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who ate the most eggs had a 77% and a 165% higher risk of gestational diabetes than those who ate the fewest.
Cancer
Egg consumption may raise the risk of colon, rectal, bladder, prostate and breast cancers, and TMAO from eggs may promote cancer growth. People eating 1.5 eggs a week had nearly five times the colon cancer risk of those eating fewer than 11 eggs a year, and a review of 37 studies confirmed that the more eggs people eat, the higher their risk of digestive tract cancers. Even moderate egg intake has been linked to triple the risk of bladder cancer. A 2011 Harvard study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that men eating 2.5 eggs a week had an 81% higher risk of lethal prostate cancer than men eating less than half an egg a week.
Egg Whites
Egg whites are not needed to get enough protein. Most people already eat too much protein, especially from animal sources. Plant proteins are a safer choice and come with fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Egg Alternatives
Recipes use eggs to bind, add lift or add moisture, but ground flaxseed or applesauce can do the same job. Tofu and beans can replace eggs entirely in dishes such as tofu scramble or chickpea "egg" salad. The Chinese version includes a substitution table covering chia or flaxseed, mashed banana, applesauce, silken and firm tofu, cornstarch, JUST Egg and kala namak (black salt). Swapping eggs for plant foods cuts cholesterol, saturated fat and animal protein while adding fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
The Chinese version of this page includes the full fact sheet with references. For the original English fact sheet, visit: Health Concerns With Eggs