The New Complete Book of Food
Vision protection. The egg yolk is a rich source of the yellow-orange carotenoid pigments
lutein and zeaxanthin. Both appear to play a role in protecting the eyes from damaging
ultraviolet light, thus reducing the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a
leading cause of vision of loss in one-third of all Americans older than 75. Just 1.3 egg yolks a
day appear to increase blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin by up to 128 percent. Perhaps as
a result, data released by the National Eye Institute’s 6,000-person Beaver Dam (Wisconsin)
Eye Study in 2003 indicated that egg consumption was inversely associated with cataract
risk in study participants who were younger than 65 years of age when the study started.
The relative risk of cataracts was 0.4 for people in the highest category of egg consumption,
compared to a risk of 1.0 for those in the lowest category.
External cosmetic effects. Beaten egg whites can be used as a facial mask to make your skin
look smoother temporarily. The mask works because the egg proteins constrict as they dry
on your face, pulling at the dried layer of cells on top of your skin. When you wash off the
egg white, you also wash off some of these loose cells. Used in a rinse or shampoo, the pro-
tein in a beaten raw egg can make your hair look smoother and shinier temporarily by filling
in chinks and notches on the hair shaft.Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Although egg yolks are high in cholesterol, data from
several recent studies suggest that eating eggs may not increase the risk of heart disease. In
2003, a report from a 14-year, 177,000-plus person study at the Harvard School of Public
Health showed that people who eat one egg a day have exactly the same risk of heart disease
as those who eat one egg or fewer per week. A similar report from the Multiple Risk Factor
Intervention Trial showed an inverse relationship between egg consumption and cholesterol
levels—that is, people who ate more eggs had lower cholesterol levels.
Nonetheless, in 2006 the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute still recommends
no more than four egg yolks a week (including the yolk in baked goods) for a heart-healthy
diet. The American Heart Association says consumers can have one whole egg a day if they
limit cholesterol from other sources to the amount suggested by the National Cholesterol
Education Project following the Step I and Step II diets. (Both groups permit an unlimited
number of egg whites.)
The Step I diet provides no more than 30 percent of total daily calories from fat, no
more than 10 percent of total daily calories from saturated fat, and no more than 300 mg
of cholesterol per day. It is designed for healthy people whose cholesterol is in the range of
200–239 mg/dL.
The Step II diet provides 25–35 percent of total calories from fat, less than 7 percent
of total calories from saturated fat, up to 10 percent of total calories from polyunsaturated
fat, up to 20 percent of total calories from monounsaturated fat, and less than 300 mg cho-
lesterol per day. This stricter regimen is designed for people who have one or more of the
following conditions: