{"id":40769,"date":"2020-06-09T14:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T19:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.incredibleegg.org\/?post_type=nutrition_article&p=40769"},"modified":"2023-08-29T14:46:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T19:46:56","slug":"protein-fat-and-phospholipids-more-reasons-to-love-eggs","status":"publish","type":"nutrition_article","link":"https:\/\/www.incredibleegg.org\/nutrition\/articles\/protein-fat-and-phospholipids-more-reasons-to-love-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"Protein, Fat, and Phospholipids \u2013 More Reasons to Love Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For only 70 calories, eggs provide 6 grams of high-quality protein, which is 12% Daily Value (% DV) on the Nutrition Facts label.  The % DV accounts for both the amount of protein and is adjusted for protein quality (eggs have the highest protein quality score).1<\/sup> Almost 60% of the protein is found in the egg white, and more than 40% in the yolk.2<\/sup> While people often choose eggs because of the high-quality protein<\/strong><\/a>, eggs are a complex nutrient-rich food that provides so much more.  New research is exploring how the different components of eggs may impact health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Besides protein, large eggs have 4.75 grams of total fat, which is rounded to 5.0 grams on the label<\/strong><\/a>.  Eggs  primarily contain mono- and poly-unsaturated fat (2 grams, and 1 gram, respectively) and also contain 1.5 g saturated fat.  The 2015 DGA recommends that \u201cIndividuals should aim to shift food choices from those high in saturated fats to those high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats,\u201d and reduce saturated fats intake to less than 10 percent of calories per day.3<\/sup>   The fat composition of eggs is consistent with this recommendation. In fact, eggs \u201c\u2026only contribute about 2.5% of total saturated fatty acid intake among U.S. adults.4,5<\/sup>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Of additional interest to the Egg Nutrition Center are the components in eggs that don\u2019t show up on the label.  For example, eggs are a bioavailable food source of lutein + zeaxanthin (252 mcg per large egg),2<\/sup> and a source of phospholipids, which are components of all biological membranes (~1.3 g per large egg).4<\/sup> Emerging research shows these dietary components can have a positive impact on health.6<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A recent study in mice added 0.1% egg sphingomyelin (a class of phospholipid) into a high-fat, cholesterol-enriched diet and compared to a control diet.  After eight weeks, there was no difference found in serum lipids between groups, but the mice fed the sphingomyelin-enriched diet had less lipid accumulation in the connection between the heart and the aorta (aortic root).  These preliminary data indicate egg sphingomyelin may have the potential to help prevent atherosclerosis, however, further research in a clinical setting is needed to better understand the impact in humans.7<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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One of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans key recommendations is to include a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds, and soy products.3<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0 As part of the protein food group, eggs are an especially nutrient-dense choice that can help meet not only protein requirements, but also provide a mixture of fats, vitamins, minerals, and dietary components that are associated with health.\u00a0 For more information on dietary components in eggs and the relationship to health, please see our recent\u00a0public comments submission<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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References<\/a><\/h3>\n \n
    \n
  1. Schaafsma, G.,\u00a0The protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score.<\/em>\u00a0J Nutr, 2000.\u00a0130<\/strong>(7): p. 1865s-7s.<\/li>\n
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Service.\u00a0FoodData Central<\/em>. 2019; Available from:\u00a0https:\/\/fdc.nal.usda.gov\/index.html<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture.\u00a02015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/em>. 2015; 8:[Available from:\u00a0http:\/\/health.gov\/dietaryguidelines\/2015\/guidelines\/<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n
  4. Blesso, C.N. and M.L. Fernandez,\u00a0Dietary Cholesterol, Serum Lipids, and Heart Disease: Are Eggs Working for or Against You?<\/em>\u00a0Nutrients, 2018.\u00a010<\/strong>(4).<\/li>\n
  5. O\u2019Neil, C.E., et al.,\u00a0Food sources of energy and nutrients among adults in the US: NHANES 2003-2006.<\/em>\u00a0Nutrients, 2012.\u00a04<\/strong>(12): p. 2097-120.<\/li>\n
  6. Blesso, C.N.,\u00a0Egg phospholipids and cardiovascular health.<\/em>\u00a0Nutrients, 2015.\u00a07<\/strong>(4): p. 2731-47.<\/li>\n
  7. Millar, C.L., et al.,\u00a0Dietary Egg Sphingomyelin Prevents Aortic Root Plaque Accumulation in Apolipoprotein-E Knockout Mice.<\/em>\u00a0Nutrients, 2019.\u00a011<\/strong>(5).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    For only 70 calories, eggs provide 6 grams of high-quality protein, which is 12% Daily Value (% DV) on the Nutrition Facts label.  The % DV accounts for both the amount of protein and is adjusted for protein quality (eggs have the highest protein quality score).1 Almost 60% of the protein is found in the egg […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40768,"template":"","nutrition_article_tag":[28],"class_list":["post-40769","nutrition_article","type-nutrition_article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","nutrition_article_tag-nutrients-in-eggs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nProtein, Fat, and Phospholipids \u2013 More Reasons to Love Eggs - American Egg Board<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.incredibleegg.org\/nutrition\/articles\/protein-fat-and-phospholipids-more-reasons-to-love-eggs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Protein, Fat, and Phospholipids \u2013 More Reasons to Love Eggs - 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