You’ve no doubt heard experts talk up eggs as one of the best breakfast options around, since they’re easy to cook and packed with vitamins and nutrients. But if you’ve hit pause on those omelets and scrambles because of heart-health concerns, listen up: Plenty of research has challenged the supposed link between high cholesterol levels and egg consumption, including a clinical trial conducted by a leading academic medical center on behalf of Eggland’s Best, which specifically investigated fortified eggs.
Before diving into the study’s findings, let’s back up to review the concerns on cholesterol intake, heart health, and how eggs factor in. Regular egg yolks do contain cholesterol—around 186 milligrams in one large egg. And older findings suggested a link between eating cholesterol-containing foods and higher levels of blood cholesterol, which can raise the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
That thinking has changed in recent years, though. More recent findings have clarified that cholesterol in food doesn’t have much impact on blood cholesterol levels for most people. This is good news for all egg lovers, and even better for people who eat fortified eggs. The new study suggests that fortified eggs, like Eggland's Best which have 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs, showed no adverse effects on cholesterol levels or markers of heart health risk.
For the trial, the researchers gathered 140 people who either already had heart disease or were at high risk for it. Half of the participants ate 12 or more Eggland’s Best fortified eggs a week for four months; the other half consumed two or fewer per week for the same duration. During the study, they measured participant’s cholesterol levels.
What they found was pretty awesome for egg enthusiasts. There was no significant difference in cholesterol levels between the folks who ate lots of fortified eggs and those who barely ate any over the four-month study period. In fact, the research, which the study's team plans to investigate further, also suggested that consuming fortified eggs could potentially reduce levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels in older individuals. “This study, should help people feel more confident that eating 12 or more fortified eggs each week can be part of a healthy diet, even for this more high-risk group of people,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, CSSD.
Even more, Eggland’s Best eggs have superior nutrition compared to ordinary eggs, including six times more vitamin D, ten times more vitamin E, and more than double the omega-3s. “It’s possible that the extra vitamins and nutrients and lower saturated fat found in fortified eggs may contribute to the improvement in markers of cardiovascular risk factors,” Blatner explains. She likes to use them in recipes that feature other wholesome ingredients like leafy greens, whole grains, and healthy fats, including this heart-healthy and delicious Salmon, Avocado, and Egg Toast.
If you’re wondering how fortified eggs get fortified, it all comes down to what those chickens are eating. The hens that lay Eggland’s Best eggs are fed a nourishing diet of whole grains and canola oil that’s supplemented with rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp, and vitamin E. That results in more nutritious eggs. “It’s the way a chicken should eat,” says Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RDN. “At the end of the day, the egg comes from a chicken that’s been fed well, treated well, is well.”
On top of potentially making fortified eggs healthier from a heart-health perspective, those extra nutrients are, of course, also valuable in their own right. Vitamin D (a must for strong bones and immune health) and omega-3s (which support brain and heart health) aren’t found in many other foods, so it’s easier to get your fill of them from eggs. “If you look at the cost per serving for the value of nutrition, that’s where it plays out really well,” says Bazilian. “Plus, eggs are multipurpose, fast to make, familiar to eat, and have a good shelf life in the fridge.” So go ahead and stock up—you’re in the clear to eat Eggland’s Best fortified eggs to your heart’s content.
For more information on the study, visit EgglandsBest.com/eggstudy.
