36Evidence B

Eggs don’t need to be avoided, but don’t eat three or four daily

Eating an extra half whole egg each day raises the overall mortality risk by roughly 7%. Swapping that half egg for egg whites, fish, poultry, or nuts actually lowers the risk of death across all categories. There’s no need to cut eggs out of your diet; just avoid consuming three or four daily.

Cost

No cost and no extra time required.

Benefit

A U.S. study tracking 521,000 people found that 129,000 participants died over time. Those eating an extra hal…

Cost

No cost and no extra time required.

Benefit

A U.S. study tracking 521,000 people found that 129,000 participants died over time. Those eating an extra half whole egg daily had a 7% higher mortality risk (hazard ratio 1.07; 95% CI 1.06–1.08). Replacing that half egg with an equal amount of egg whites, poultry, fish, dairy, or nuts and legumes further reduced mortality risk, including risks related to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory conditions.

Original sources

Zhuang P, Wu F, Mao L, et al. (2021). Egg and cholesterol consumption and mortality from cardiovascular and different causes in the United States: A population-based cohort study. PLoS Medicine, 18(2), e1003508. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003508

Open source link
Book note

This topic remains controversial: other large-scale long-term studies and meta-analyses have found no link between egg consumption and mortality. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines have also removed the previous daily cholesterol limit. The key takeaway is to avoid eating three or four eggs daily; one egg per day poses no significant concern.

My note