Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
The egg, a food that has long been a source of confusion. In the 90s, The American Heart Association set a guideline of no more than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day, thus limiting your egg intake to just 1-2 eggs. Mmmmm, a one-egg omelet!
This was based on the belief that dietary cholesterol directly impacted blood cholesterol levels. However, as research has evolved, so has our understanding. It's time to reconsider the incredible egg!
Eggs Are A Testosterone Booster
You have probably read about a ton of roots, herbs, and other foods that are supposed to boost testosterone. We can't touch on all those now, but we can tell you this: eggs are a legitimate test booster!
For this to make sense, you need to understand that testosterone is a lipid-based hormone, specifically, cholesterol. That's right, the cholesterol you get from eggs!
In fact, this is one of the reasons that vegan men tend to have lower levels, as they cut out cholesterol from their diet.
Regardless, one way to up your test levels is to include plenty of eggs. This was clearly shown in a study from 2021.
In it, 30 resistance-trained men were put into two groups and followed a 12-week resistance program. Both groups followed the same program and protocol. The only difference between the groups was one thing: eggs!
Throughout the program, one group ate three whole eggs after training while the other ate a calorically equal amount of egg whites.
After 12 weeks, the group of men who ate whole eggs saw a greater decrease in body fat percentage, a greater increase in serum testosterone concentrations, and greater muscular strength—all from eating eggs!¹
Figure 1: Bagheri, Reza, et al. (2020)
Similar studies have also shown increased testosterone levels and muscle protein synthesis!²
Eggs Boost Your Minds Too!
While most people are concerned with either the protein or cholesterol in eggs, it's not just about protein and cholesterol! Eggs are a powerhouse of nutrients crucial for cognition, such as choline and iron. Both these compounds play a vital role in maintaining brain health.
Like B vitamins, choline is an essential nutrient with diverse roles in maintaining cellular structure, neurotransmitter synthesis, lipid transport, brain development, and overall metabolic health. Basically, it does a lot.
For example, in a large review from 2021, researchers examined the correlation between egg consumption of Chinese adults and cognition.
Nutrition data was taken from almost 5,000 Chinese adults who had completed the China Health and Nutrition Survey between 1991 and 2006. Assessments were conducted for cognition testing in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006. The dates were then gathered and compared.
You could probably guess, but eating more eggs resulted in better cognition performance!³
High egg intake was associated with better self-reported memory and less memory decline. What's interesting is that this association was strongest with those who had lower iron intake. This suggests that the iron content of eggs was the primary compound responsible.
Want to increase your choline intake without upping your egg intake? Check out the best choline supplements.
Eggs Can Also Protect Your Brain
Eggs not only help to increase cognition, but they may also protect against various brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's. This positive impact on cognitive health may just inspire you to include eggs in your diet.
In 2024, a huge research project examined the relationship between egg consumption and Alzheimer's. The study followed 1,024 older adults for about six years, with an average age of 81. During this time, the researchers documented their egg consumption as well as incidents of Alzheimer's.
What they found is shocking.
They found that consuming one or more eggs a week was associated with a 47.0% reduced risk of Alzheimer's dementia!
Just one egg a week cut their risk in half! That's nuts!
While eggs are packed with awesome nutrients, the researchers noted that the egg's choline was likely the specific compound responsible for this.⁴
How Many Eggs Should You Eat Daily Or Weekly?
So, if eggs are so awesome, the obvious question is, how many should you eat? Unfortunately, there's no obvious answer.
If you're a man, the above study had participants eating three daily. Therefore, this may be a good number if you're concerned with cholesterol.
However, if you're a woman or just want to ensure you get the other health benefits and keep your brain healthy, that number may be one a day.
The most important lesson from this is don't be afraid to eat your eggs!
Conclusion: Eggs-ellent For Your Health
These are just three studies that show the awesome health benefits of eggs. At the same time, we only talked about a few of the compounds found in eggs: cholesterol, choline, and iron. In reality, there are plenty of others, such as omega-3 fatty acids (which are low for most Americans!), vitamin D, and let's not forget about protein! Eggs are seriously awesome!
For whatever reason, eggs have always been a hot topic in nutrition and health. In fact, there are still those who warn against eating them. At the same time, we want to acknowledge that everyone has their own medical history, so if you are concerned, we encourage you to contact your doctor or health professional.
But if you're in good health, it seems the only thing you need to worry about is whether you prefer sunny-side up or scrambled!
References
- Bagheri, Reza, et al. “Whole Egg vs. Egg White Ingestion during 12 Weeks of Resistance Training in Trained Young Males: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 35, no. 2, 9 Dec. 2020, pp. 411–419, https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003922
- Santos, Heitor O., et al. “The Effect of Whole Egg Intake on Muscle Mass: Are the Yolk and Its Nutrients Important?” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, vol. 31, no. 6, 9 Sept. 2021, pp. 514–521, journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/31/6/article-p514.xml?content=pdf, https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2021-0086
- Sukik, Layan, et al. “Association between Egg Consumption and Cognitive Function among Chinese Adults: Long-Term Effect and Interaction Effect of Iron Intake.” British Journal of Nutrition, 5 Nov. 2021, pp. 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114521004402
- Pan, Yongyi, et al. “Association of Egg Intake with Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk in Older Adults: The Rush Memory and Aging Project.” the Journal of Nutrition/the Journal of Nutrition, 1 May 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.05.012
Garett Reid
Author