The egg intake came into scrutiny in the late sixties when the American Heart Association (AHA) advised people to limit their intake of eggs to three to four per week ( two for people with known coronary disease) when scientific research established that a persistently high blood cholesterol level leads to atherosclerosis (i.e. deposition of cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels), a major underlying cause of heart attack and stroke.
In year 2000, however, the American Heart Association (AHA) made a complete turnaround on its recommendation regarding egg intake in the light of new reputable and comprehensive epidemiological studies that showed that the consumption of an egg a day was unlikely to have any substantial overall impact on the risk for coronary heart disease or stroke in healthy people, although there is a possible increase in risk among diabetics.
The AHA now says that it is no longer making any recommendation about how many egg yolks can be eaten per week. Apparently, the human body handles cholesterol from eggs differently from cholesterol from other animal products. Possibly, the other beneficial nutrients in eggs (i.e. choline, a fat emulsifier) counter the effect of cholesterol.
Hence, it is safe for normal people to consume an egg or even more a day, provided he or she limits his or her intake of other animal fats.
An egg is actually the closest thing we have to a complete food. In terms of nutritional value, it is unrivaled by any other food item.
In addition, despite the rising cost of basic commodities, the egg has remained incredibly cheap. Although the egg is not a good source of calories.
A medium sized chicken egg supplies only 75 calories, it is loaded with proteins and micro nutrients (i.e. vitamins and mineral).
The protein content of a medium sized egg, which amount to about 6.1 grams is equal to about ten percent of a person’s daily requirement.
What’s more, these proteins are of high quality and easily digestible. An egg contains all the essential amino acids that are needed for growth and development.
The vitamins and minerals that are found in substantial amounts in an egg include vitamins A, D, B6 and B12, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and iron.
In conclusion, the present AHA guidelines simply has this to say “by limiting cholesterol intake from foods with a high content of animal fats, individuals can also meet the dietary guidelines for saturated fat intake. This target can be readily achieved even with periodic consumption of eggs”.