“In the beginning this world was nonexistent. It became existent. It developed. It turned into an egg. It lay for the period of a year. It split apart. One of the parts became silver, one gold… . That which was the inner membrane is clouds and mist. What were veins are the rivers. What was the fluid within is the ocean. What was born from the egg is the sun.” -- Chandogya Upanishad, ca. 800 BCE
Chicken or Egg First?
There are two possible answers to the old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Those with strong religious leanings cite Genesis; God created the creatures first, not their mechanisms of reproduction. Those people who incorporate evolutionary theory into their answer may recall that eggs are far older than chickens, even birds for that matter.
The first eggs were released into the ocean unprotected about a billion years ago, but the thing we think of as an egg, something of Humpty Dumpty appearance, got its start about 300 million years ago, when early land dwelling reptiles put a leathery skin to their eggs. The hard shelled bird egg developed about 100 million years ago. The chicken's ancient ancestors appeared about 8 million years old and the bird that resembles a chicken, just 3 million years old. Chickens, as we now know them, were domesticated in Asia about 9500 years ago.
So, like many of life's important questions, the answer may depend more on a person's point of view than anything else.
Cholesterol Worries
While the scientists and philosophers were trying to come up with the definitive answer to the which came first question, we developed other things to worry about.
Starting in the 1970s an idea arose that eggs were bad for people. Cholesterol had been identified as a risk factor for heart disease and people became afraid to eat any foods containing cholesterol, especially eggs. Yet eggs are close to a perfect food.
Eggs are an inexpensive source of high quality protein. Egg protein, in fact, is so high quality that it is used as the standard to which all other proteins are compared. Even though eggs are so nutritious, many people still try to avoid eating eggs or will separate the eggs prior to cooking and discard the yolks. They are convinced that the yolks are bad for them. This is a myth.
Cholesterol in the diet has little effect in raising cholesterol levels in the blood. In fact study after study after study has shown no connection to how many eggs people eat and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This doesn't mean that a Big Mac bought on Krameria street won't raise your cholesterol: the saturated fats they contain may increase your blood cholesterol level.
A 1999 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported on data from 37, 851 men and 80,082 women and found no connection. Nor did a Dutch study published in 2001 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which compiled data from 17 separate studies. They found that adding 100 mg of cholesterol a day (that's how much you add with about three eggs a week) increased total cholesterol by an insignificant amount. Not much to worry about there.
A 2004 study, which I find particularly interesting, suggests that although egg eating doesn't seem to impact heart disease it may change overall mortality. The number of eggs people ate was tied to their overall chance of dying. Women who ate more than two eggs per day had almost half the mortality rate of women who seldom ate eggs. Women who averaged about one-half an egg per day had the lowest chance mortality, about 25 percent of the chance of women who rarely ate eggs.
Oatmeal and Eggs
The most recent study I've come across and probably the most accurate was published in March 2005 in the International Journal of Cardiology . A group of 49 volunteers ate either two eggs a day for six weeks or bowl of oatmeal a day. Six weeks of serious egg eating had no effect on total cholesterol. Those who ate oatmeal daily lowered total cholesterol significantly, both statistically and clinically, from a baseline of 204 to 194.
If you are worried about heart disease, this study would say, “don't worry about how many eggs you eat. Instead, make sure you eat your oatmeal with them.”
The best choice of eggs though are the new Omega-3 eggs. Research suggests that eating fish or nuts protects people from heart disease. This benefit is attributed to the omega-3 fats they both contain. These specific fats are good for a host of health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and brain development in infants.
I bring this up because eggs contain some of these fats. If chickens are fed flax seeds along with their food, the eggs they produce have four times the amount of omega-3 fats as regular eggs. And you don't need to raise chickens to get these eggs. All the grocery stores now carry Omega-3 eggs.
The Bottom Line
Eating up to two eggs a day does not appear to cause a measurable increase in heart disease, but it may lower the risk of overall mortality.
Eating the omega-3 enriched eggs may lower risk of heart disease; eating a bowl of oatmeal with a few nuts thrown in certainly will. So what's for breakfast? I did come across a recipe for an oatmeal soufflé, but allowed taste to trump nutrition and decided not to reprint it here.