People have eaten eggs for thousands of years. There are many types of egg, but the most common choice is that of the chicken
By Taranum Naz
Advice about the role of eggs in the diet has changed several times over the decades. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate published evidence reporting associations between egg consumption, egg nutrients and health.
Eggs contain several vitamins and minerals that are essential parts of a healthful diet. In many parts of the world, eggs are a readily available, inexpensive food. In the past, there was some controversy about whether eggs are healthful or not, especially concerning cholesterol. The current thinking, however, is that, in moderation, eggs are healthful, as they can be a good source of protein and other essential nutrients. This article describes the nutritional contents of eggs and possible health benefits and risks. It also gives tips on incorporating more eggs into the diet and looks at egg alternatives.
Eggs are a rich source of protein and several essential nutrients, particularly vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and choline. Emerging evidence suggests that eating eggs is associated with satiety, weight management and better diet quality. In addition, antioxidants found in egg yolk may help prevent age‐ related macular degeneration. The secondary analysis showed that regular egg consumers with a low red and processed meat (RPM) intake ate healthier diets and had a better micronutrient status than those who did not eat eggs but who had a high RPM intake. It was concluded that egg consumption, at a range of intakes, was associated with nutrition and health benefits.
Eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, good fats and various other lesser-known nutrients. One large egg contains.
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): 9% of the RDA
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 15% of the RDA
- Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 7% of the RDA
- Selenium: 22% of the RDA
- Eggs also contain small amounts of almost every vitamin and mineral required by the human body, including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, vitamin E, folate and many
A large egg contains 77 calories, with 6 grams of quality protein, 5 grams of fat and trace amounts of carbohydrates. It’s very important to realize that almost all the nutrients are contained in the yolk, the white contains only protein. Choline is a lesser-known nutrient that is often grouped with the B-complex vitamins. Choline is an essential nutrient for human health and is needed for various processes in the body. It is required to synthesize the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is also a component of cell membranes.
A low choline intake has been implicated in liver diseases, heart disease and neurological disorders this nutrient may be especially important for pregnant women. Studies show that a low choline intake can raise the risk of neural tube defects and lead to decreased cognitive function in the baby Eggs are among the best sources of protein in the diet. In fact, the biological value (a measure of protein quality) is often evaluated by comparing it to eggs, which are given the perfect score of 100
There are two antioxidants in eggs that can have powerful protective effects on the eyes. They are called lutein and zeaxanthin, both found in the yolk.
Lutein and zeaxanthin tend to accumulate in the retina, the sensory part of the eye, where they protect the eyes from harmful sunlight these antioxidants significantly reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts, which are among the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness in the elderly.
In one study, eating 1.3 egg yolks per day for 4.5 weeks increased blood levels of zeaxanthin by 114–142% and lutein by 28–50%.
One whole egg contains about as much selenium as 1 cup of cottage cheese, a cooked chicken thigh or drumstick, or 1 cup of dried, shredded coconut meat. Eggs are a richer source of selenium than brown rice, nuts like walnuts, lentils and dairy products such as cheese or milk. Foods that have more selenium per serving than eggs include grains such as barley or couscous, pork, chicken, beef and fish such as halibut, flounder, cod or salmon. The single richest food source of selenium is the brazilnut, which contains 543.5 micrograms of selenium in every 1-ounce serving.
In short eggs are best source of every day food for poor and rich everyone should take it easily for nutrition requirements we should make practice to eat egg daily as they are cheapest source of nutrition with much more benefits however there are also some disadvantages The fat and cholesterol found in eggs can harm heart health and lead to diabetes, as well as pros Consuming one or more eggs per day may increase the risk of diabetes by 60%tate and colorectal cancers.
Article by Taranum Naz
MSc final year department of physiology Teacher Sir Noman University of Karachi