Raw Eggs Versus Cooked Eggs: Which is Better for Promoting Muscle gains? by Jerry Brainum 7/23

 

 

 

I've written several articles in Applied Metabolics about eggs, and for good reason. Eggs are among the highest quality food sources of protein. Eggs have a high biological value, a reflection of their rich content of the essential amino acids that support muscular growth. Indeed, until whey protein supplements became popular in the early 90s, egg protein supplements were rated number one as a bodybuilding protein supplement. They are still high on the list, just behind whey and whole milk protein. I recall that an old friend of mine, Dennis Tinerino, who won the 1967 Mr.America and the 1968 Mr.Universe titles, used to make his own milk and egg protein powder by mixing powdered egg white that he obtained from a bakery with powdered milk. It clearly worked well for him. But commercial versions of milk and egg protein powders were by far the most popular bodybuilding supplements in the 1970s through to the end of the 80s. You could also buy standalone egg protein powders, which consisted of powered egg albumin or powdered egg whites. 

But besides being a superior source of protein, eggs are also controversial for several reasons. One has to do with the cholesterol content of whole eggs. Each whole egg contains 187 grams of cholesterol, and the American Heart Association has long recommended that the maximum food intake of cholesterol should be no more than 300 milligrams. But this suggestion is problematic for several reasons. The primary problem is that food cholesterol is not very absorbable. Most people can only absorb about 10% of the cholesterol that naturally occurs in food. And the only foods that contain cholesterol are animal foods since plants do not produce cholesterol. Some plant food purveyors take advantage of this fact by labeling their plant products "cholesterol-free," when the foods never contained cholesterol. Although it has a reputation for playing a major role in the onset of cardiovascular disease, more recent research has cast doubt on the relationship of cholesterol to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The truth is that the preponderance of published research that involve human subjects shows little or no relationship between the consumption of food cholesterol and CVD. Others say that it isn't cholesterol that is the problem with CVD, but rather the saturated fat content of many high-protein foods. Saturated fat can be converted into cholesterol in the liver, but this process is tightly controlled and massive production of cholesterol following the consumption of saturated fat just doesn't happen. Indeed, the liver produces an average of 1,000 milligrams a day of cholesterol, and for good reason. 

That reason is cholesterol is essential to health. Cholesterol is a building block for cellular membranes, including brain cells. Recent studies have shown that it's possible to have too . . .