More Than a Symbol of Fertility, Eggs Help the Developing Fetus

by Heidi Stevenson

4 April 2010—Happy Easter!

On this Easter Day, what better topic than one of its most poignant symbols, the egg? It has been a much-maligned food in recent years, criticized as dangerous when eaten raw and unhealthy when cooked. Nothing could be further from the truth. Eggs are packed with nutrients and are so important that pregnant women, women who might become pregnant, men who might become fathers, and nursing women should be eating them regularly—preferably every day.

Eggs were—and largely still are—treated as dangerous foods with the claim that they can harbor salmonella bacteria and that they have lots of cholesterol, which is mistakenly believed to be bad for the heart.

Salmonella Fears

The salmonella issue was never a concern until battery egg raising became the norm. That distortion of farming has resulted in extremely unhealthy and highly stressed chickens. They live in overly crowded conditions, are debeaked, are fed unnatural diets, are constantly bombarded with antibiotics and hormones, and rarely, if ever, see the light of day. In spite of the antibiotics, tests have shown that the vast majority of eggs that come from such sources are contaminated with salmonella.

Naturally, these unnatural and horribly cruel conditions have resulted in the rise of yet another superbug, drug-resistant salmonella. So, people are told that they should eat only heavily-processed eggs to kill the bacteria. A campaign against eating raw eggs has been in existence for several years.

The solution to this problem is quite simple: Do not purchase battery-raised hens. As this article discusses later, you'll also be providing yourself with far better nutrition. Factory-farmed eggs are deficient in nutrients.

The Old Bugaboo, Cholesterol

That tired old canard that cholesterol causes heart disease just keeps coming back, no matter how many studies document that it's false. Even more interesting is that eating foods high in cholesterol has little or nothing to do with cholesterol levels in the blood. So, while it's true that eggs are high in it, there is no truth that it harms you. Most cholesterol is made by the liver. Very little that's eaten reaches the blood stream.

Even more significant is that cholesterol, as has been reported in Gaia Health, is absolutely necessary for good health and is the basis of many processes required for metabolism. Clear links to low cholesterol have been shown to increase death rates from just about all causes, including cancer. So, even if it were true that eating eggs increased cholesterol, that's not a reason to stop eating them.

An Excellent Source of Nutrients, Especially During Pregnancy

Choline

Eggs are an excellent source of necessary nutrents, including protein, choline, and several vitamins. One of the primary reasons eggs are a particularly good source of nutrition for pregnant women is choline. While it's fairly well known that it's important for pregnant women to get adequate folic acid to prevent spina bifida, it's not generally known that choline is necessary to work with it. There's little point in getting enough folic acid if there isn't enough choline—and there's no better way to obtain choline than through eating eggs.

Choline is a key nutrient, involved in:

• The health of cell membranes. Choline is required for their integrity and flexibility.
• Cell methylation, which is key to cell messaging. Choline is a key factor in this process.
• Nerve impulse transmission.
• Chronic inflammation reduction.

There is no better source of choline than egg yolks. Iowa State University research has documented that the vast majority of Americans, about 90%, are deficient in choline. Could it be that the push to limit egg intake has something to do with it? And could it be related to the increase in chronic disease?

Lutein to Help Protect Against Macular Degeneration,

Lutein is a carotenoid. Inadequate consumption may be related to a major cause of blindness, age-related macular degeneration, and also to the development of cataracts. While dark green leafy vegetables have long been recognized as a good source of lutein, eggs may provide an even better source. At least one study has shown that lutein is better absorbed from egg yolks than either vegetables or supplements.

Other Nutrients Found in Eggs

• Vitamin A: Catalyst for many biological processes, required for the body to utilize protein, minerals, and water-soluble vitamins. Antioxidant protecting against cancer.
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): Required for adrenal function. Could people's avoidance of eggs be related to the epidemic of exhausted adrenals?
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Required in a wide array of metabolic functions, including cellular respiration.
• Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid): Necessary to prevent spina bifida, a debilitating and permanent neurlogical birth defect.
• Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): Lack of cobalamin causes pernicious anemia. It works with folic acid to synthesize DNA. Many patients believed to suffer from Alzheimer's actually are deficient in Vitamin B12. Inadequate B12 has been associated with asthma, depression, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, diabetic neuropathy, and low sperm count.
• Vitamin D: The sunshine vitamin is involved in a huge array of body functions. The humble egg is one of the few food sources.
• Iodine: Required for thyroid function.
• Vitamin K: Required for blood clotting and bone formation. Lack of Vitamin K may be related to osteoporosis.
• Vitamin K2: Catalyst for mineral absorption, missing from most modern western diets.
• Molybdenum: Trace element (metal) required as a cofactor for three enzymes in the body's carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur cycles.
• Phosphorus: Key factor in formation of bone and teeth. Also involved in utilization of carbohydrates and fats, and protein synthesization for growth and maintenance of cells. Necessary for production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the chemical that provides cellular energy.
• Protein: Eggs are rich in protein. They contain all eight of the amino acids, making eggs the perfect source of protein.
• Selenium: Potent antioxidant involved in heart health, immune system, and bone formation. Inadequate selenium is associated with some cancer, heart disease, rapid aging, and any illness associated with a weak or damaged immune sytem.
• Tryptophan: Amino acid essential in growth and development. Required for manufacture of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Can be used to manufacture niacin (Vitamin B3).
• Zeaxanthin: Found in the macula of the eye and composed of exactly the same atoms as lutein, with the only difference the location of a double bond between atoms. Age-related macular degeneration is associated with loss of zeaxanthin. At least one long term study (6 years) showed that adequate lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet prevents macular degeneration.

Smaller quantities, in terms of percentage of daily requirements, of other nutrients are also contained in eggs, including zinc, sodium, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

Pretty impressive, isn't it? Eggs are probably the most nutrient-dense food in the world. They've been maligned for the last few decades without regard to their enormous benefits. A couple of eggs a day may be enough to prevent spina bifida in newborn babies. They contain necessary nutrients for growing babies and children, and many of the critical nutrients for maintaining health and energy.

The Weston A. Price Foundation suggests that egg yolks should be the first solid food given to babies. Notice that a man's sperm count, thus his ability to father babies, is reliant on Vitamin B12, which is available in good quantity from eggs. In The Garden of Fertility, Katie Singer says that eggs are among the few foods—along with cod liver oil, egg yolks, butter, liver, seafood, and lard—that can help improve a woman's fertility.

The next article, coming tomorrow, Eggs: Nutrition Comparison Between Factory Farmed and Free Range, continues the discussion with questions of eating raw eggs and a comparison of free range with battery eggs.

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