Eggs: from dietary villain to nutritional powerhouse ; its important role in providing choline

In this article we will explain why eggs were deemed to be dangerous (and still are in Dutch nutritional advice) without adequate scientific background and explain what precious ingredients you are missing out on when you don't consume eggs, with special emphasis on the importance of choline.

Eggs are no longer considered a villain to heart health, as modern science has debunked the long-held myth that dietary cholesterol in eggs significantly raises blood cholesterol or increases cardiovascular disease risk in healthy individuals.

Research indicates that the body adjusts its own cholesterol production based on intake, meaning most people can safely consume eggs in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Major health organizations, including the American Heart Association now recognize eggs as a nutritional powerhouse rich in high-quality protein, choline, and essential vitamins, rather than a dietary demon.

For decades, the humble egg was treated like a ticking time bomb for your arteries. Nutrition guidelines told us to avoid them, doctors warned us about cholesterol, and many Americans swapped their morning omelet for a sad bowl of processed cereal. But here’s the kicker— those recommendations weren’t based on strong science. Instead, industry interests heavily influenced them, outdated theories, and a lot of fear-mongering.

Now, eggs are back on the menu. Science has finally caught up, and experts agree that dietary cholesterol isn’t the villain it was made out to be. But just when we thought we could enjoy eggs guilt-free, bird flu struck, prices skyrocketed, and suddenly, eggs became the new luxury item. So, how did we get here?

The food pyramid: Big Business, not Big Science

If you grew up in the 90s, you probably remember the Food Pyramid. It told us to eat 6-11 servings of bread, pasta, and cereal every day, while foods like eggs, meat, and fats were placed at the top—basically labeled "eat sparingly."

But was this pyramid built on solid science? Not exactly.

The grain industry played a huge role in shaping these guidelines. In the 1970s and 80s, low-fat diets became the gold standard for heart health. The idea was simple: eating fat leads to heart disease, so cutting out fat would make us healthier. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

Instead, food companies removed fat from products and replaced it with sugar and processed carbs—because, let’s face it, fat-free food tastes terrible without something to make it palatable.
As a result, Americans ended up eating way more refined carbs and sugar, leading to a spike in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Meanwhile, eggs—one of nature’s most nutrient-dense and affordable foods—were put on the naughty list.

The war on eggs: how a bad idea became dietary dogma

The real egg panic began in 1968 when the American Heart Association (AHA) declared that dietary cholesterol was a major cause of heart disease. They recommended eating no more than three eggs per week.

But here’s the problem—this recommendation wasn’t based on strong human studies. Instead, it was based on:

Animal studies – Scientists fed cholesterol to rabbits, which are naturally herbivores, and their cholesterol went up. But rabbits process cholesterol differently than humans.

Epidemiological correlations – Early studies linked high cholesterol intake to heart disease, but they didn’t separate it from other factors like saturated fat, smoking, or lack of exercise.

Clinical studies with unrealistic diets – Some studies tested cholesterol intake using six eggs per day—which is way more than most people eat.
Meanwhile, many scientists already knew that dietary cholesterol had minimal impact on blood cholesterol for most people. Our bodies naturally regulate cholesterol production—when we eat more cholesterol, the liver produces less to balance it out.
But by the time the science caught up, the damage was done. Food companies had already flooded the market with "cholesterol-free" products like margarine and egg substitutes. And people believed the hype.

The egg industry fights back (with science!)

While eggs were being villainized, the egg industry wasn’t about to sit back and let breakfast be ruined. In 1984, they established the Egg Nutrition Center (ENC) to fund research and set the record straight.

Over the next few decades, study after study debunked the myth that eggs were bad for your heart. In fact, major research showed:

Eating eggs does NOT increase heart disease risk. A Harvard study of 117,000 people found no link between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease.
Eggs can even be good for you. They’re packed with protein, choline (for brain health), and lutein and zeaxanthin (for eye health).
Cholesterol guidelines were flawed. By 2015, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans finally removed cholesterol restrictions because there was no strong evidence linking dietary cholesterol to heart disease.
After 47 years of bad press, the egg was officially redeemed.

Just when eggs made a comeback… prices went through the roof

Now that science finally supports eating eggs, you’d think we’d be in a golden age of omelets. But no—2023 and 2024 have given us record-breaking egg prices.

Why? One word: bird flu.

A massive avian flu outbreak led to the culling of millions of hens, drastically reducing egg supply and sending prices soaring. In some stores, eggs were even locked up like high-end electronics.

So now, after decades of unnecessary restrictions, eggs are back on the menu—but they’re too expensive for many people to enjoy daily. Irony at its finest.

Eggs: not just for breakfast

Perhaps just as important as what eggs do for your health may be what eggs do for your food. Not just for breakfast, eggs are used to make everything from healthy pancakes to egg salad.

Five of the egg's top cooking functions; eggs:

• bind ingredients in prepared foods like meatloaf and salmon patties
• leaven baked "high-rises" such as soufflés and sponge cakes
• emulsify mayonnaise, salad dressings and hollandaise sauce
• clarify soups and thicken custards
• add color, flavor, moisture and nutrients to baked goods

The good news is, some of the egg dishes you may have been avoiding, not to mention eggs by themselves, yolk and all, are back on the table. That said, it's important to understand that not any old egg is "good" for eating.

Egg yolks are one of the two most nutrient-dense foods in existence. The other is organ meats.
However, be mindful of where you get your eggs from, as the nutritional quality of the eggs is dependent on the diet of the chickens. The egg yolks of eggs from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) can be relatively high in linoleic acid (LA), if you eat more than four a day, while organic eggs don't contain as much.

Organic, pastured eggs are the best by far, as they're not produced in a CAFO,, which yields eggs far more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella.
You'll note that the best way to eat your organic, pastured eggs is raw or very lightly cooked, such as poached, soft-boiled or over easy with very runny yolks.

Reasons to start (or continue) eating eggs

Instead of focusing on the faulty science that made you worry unnecessarily about consuming too much cholesterol, there are numerous reasons to go ahead and enjoy them. They're loaded with vitamins and minerals; in fact, just one boiled egg imparts these very good-for-you nutrients, in terms of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI):

• 6% of the RDI in vitamin A
• 5% of the RDI in folate
• 7% of the RDI in vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• 9% of the RDI in vitamin B12
• 15% of the RDI in protein
• 15% of the RDI in vitamin B2
• 9% of the RDI in phosphorus
• 22% of the RDI in selenium

In addition, eggs contain a healthy amount of calcium, zinc and vitamins D, K, E and B6, as well as healthy fats.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are important antioxidants that build up in the retinas of your eyes. This effectively protects your vision by inhibiting the development of cataracts and macular degradation, two of the world's most common and serious eye ailments.

Along with the high amounts of vitamin A, your vision is further defended with every egg you eat. Other nutritional advantages come through micronutrients like carotenoids (for eye health), arginine (for healthy blood vessels) and folate for healthy pregnancies and heart health).

Choline: eggs are a main source

One very important aspect of eggs is the rich source of choline — about 113 milligrams (mg) in a single egg, nearly 25% of your DRI — which is necessary for building cell wall membranes, producing the molecules crucial for brain signaling and to make the brain chemical acetylcholine, involved in storing memories.

It also helps prevent the buildup of homocysteine in your blood (linked to heart disease) and reduces chronic inflammation. Choline plays a crucial role in pregnant women, as it helps to prevent certain birth defects, including spina bifida and, again, is very important for the brain development of unborn babies.

According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, only 8% of American adults are getting enough choline and only 8.5% of pregnant women are consuming adequate amounts.

Researchers added, "This research illustrates that it is extremely difficult to achieve the adequate intake for choline without consuming eggs or taking a dietary supplement."
Conversely, symptoms associated with low choline levels include memory problems, lethargy and brain fog. Because your body can only synthesize small amounts at a time, you need to get it from your diet on a regular basis.

Choline in eggs reduces inflammation

Choline, was first discovered in 1862 and officially recognized as an essential nutrient for human health more than a century later in 1998.
Since then, we’ve learned that choline has a long list of health benefits. For example, it’s required for:

• healthy fetal development
• optimal brain function, memory and cognition
• nervous system health — Choline is necessary for making acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in healthy muscle, heart and memory performance
• cell structure — Choline is needed for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, better known as lecithin, which is required for the composition of cell membranes
• mitochondrial function
• metabolism (energy production)
• DNA synthesis
• methylation reactions
• cardiovascular health
• liver health, as choline is needed to carry cholesterol from your liver; a choline deficiency could result in excess fat and cholesterol buildup

Eggs lower inflammation and insulin resistance

Research published in 2020 also concluded that choline has anti-inflammatory activity and can be particularly useful in those with insulin resistance and/or metabolic syndrome. And, while a choline supplement was good in this regard, eggs were far better.

As reported by the authors:

“Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance, which increase the risk of heart disease. Eggs have numerous nutrients including choline, carotenoids, and fat-soluble vitamins that may protect against these conditions.
Egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a major contributor of dietary choline in the American diet.
In this study, we evaluated the effect of two sources of choline, whole eggs (a source of PC) and a choline supplement (choline bitartrate, CB), on plasma lipids, glucose, insulin resistance, and inflammatory biomarkers.”

Twenty-three subjects diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were included in the study. After a two-week washout period with no choline intake, participants were randomly allocated to consume either three eggs per day or 400 mg of choline bitartrate per day for four weeks.

Both choline supplementation and eggs reduced interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, but eggs also resulted in lower C-reactive protein, insulin, and insulin resistance compared to baseline.

After a three-week washout period, they were then given the alternate treatment. While eating eggs, participants were found to have higher levels of vitamin E and selenium, but there were no differences in cholesterol levels, triglycerides or glucose compared to baseline or when they were on the choline supplement.

Interestingly, both choline sources reduced interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, but eggs also resulted in lower C-reactive protein, insulin and insulin resistance compared to baseline, causing the authors to conclude that:
“... in a MetS population, intake of three eggs per day does not increase plasma LDL cholesterol, and has additional benefits on biomarkers of disease compared to a choline supplement, possibly due to the presence of other antioxidants in eggs.”

Choline deficiency may be a primary driver of NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)

Studies have linked higher choline intake to a range of benefits, including a decreased risk for heart disease,a 24% decreased risk for breast cancer, and the prevention of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

In fact, choline appears to be a key controlling factor in the development of fatty liver, in part by enhancing secretion of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, which are required to transport fat out of your liver, and in part by carrying cholesterol from your liver.

In these ways, choline helps prevent the buildup of fat and cholesterol. Research has also discovered evidence of epigenetic mechanisms of choline, which also helps explain how choline helps maintain healthy liver function.

NAFLD is the most common form of liver disease in the USA, and prevalence has skyrocketed among children in recent years.
Choline deficiency is likely a driving factor in this trend because if you don’t have enough choline, any dietary fat, and any food the liver can turn into fat, such as refined sugar and ethanol (alcohol), will promote the accumulation of liver fat.

And, once fat accumulation has set in, excessive consumption of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) from seed oils will fuel inflammation by increasing lipid peroxidation and decreasing DHA levels (as PUFAs contain high amounts of omega-6 and most people don’t get enough omega-3 from their diet).

As explained in a 2010 article:

“We now know that choline is necessary to produce a phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine (PC) … a critical component of the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle, which we need to make in order to export fats from our livers.

The amino acid methionine can act as a precursor to choline and can also be used to convert a different phospholipid called phosphatidylethanolamine directly into PC. Thus, the combined deficiency of choline and methionine will severely impair our abilities to package up the fats in our livers and to send them out into the bloodstream.”

Choline helps prevent neurodegenerative diseases

Choline also helps protect against neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, by:

• Reducing your homocysteine level, an amino acid shown to cause neurodegeneration and is involved in the formation of amyloid plaques, two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. Choline converts homocysteine into methionine, which has beneficial effects.
• Inhibiting microglia activation — Microglia cells clear debris from your brain, and while this is a crucial function, in Alzheimer’s the microglia have a tendency to become overactivated, causing inflammation in the brain that can result in the death of neurons. By reducing activation of microglia, choline can help protect Alzheimer’s patients from further brain damage.

Interestingly, animal research has also shown that high choline intake during the prenatal period helps prevent neurodegenerative diseases in the offspring. In other words, it has multigenerational effects. This is all the more reason for pregnant women to make sure they’re getting enough choline.

Most people need more choline

Although a small amount of choline is produced by your liver, the rest must be supplied through your diet. The recommended “adequate intake” for choline is about 550 milligrams a day, but many get nowhere near this amount.

In fact, estimates suggest 90% of the American population may be deficient in choline while Europeans aren´t doing much better.
Some of the symptoms associated with low levels include memory problems, lethargy and persistent brain fog.

People who are at particularly high risk for deficiency include:

1. Pregnant mothers — Choline is required for proper neural tube closure, brain development and healthy vision. Research shows mothers who get sufficient choline impart lifelong memory enhancement to their child due to changes in the development of the hippocampus (memory center) of the child’s brain.
   Choline deficiency also raises your risk of premature birth, low birth weight and preeclampsia.
2. Athletes — Endurance exercise deplete choline, and supplementation before severe physical stress has several advantageous effects. Choline supplementation may also reduce body mass without side effects.
3. High alcohol consumers — Excess alcohol consumption can increase your need for choline and raise your risk of deficiency.
4. Vegans — This demographic is at increased risk for deficiency as they avoid several of the most choline-rich foods, eggs, organ meats and beef in particular.

Also, keep in mind that requirements can vary widely, depending on your overall diet, age, ethnicity and genetic makeup. As noted in one paper,
“People with one of several very common genetic polymorphisms in the genes of choline metabolism are more likely to develop hepatic dysfunction when deprived of choline.”

Another study found that in some men, 550 mg of choline per day was insufficient as they still developed organ dysfunction.
Postmenopausal women were also more prone to develop signs of organ dysfunction than premenopausal women when deprived of adequate amounts of choline for just under six weeks.

If you already have NAFLD, you’d be wise to pay careful attention to choline as well. A study on the severity of NAFLD found that low choline intake significantly increased symptoms, including fibrosis (the thickening and scarring of connective tissue).

The tolerable upper intake level for choline is 3.5 grams (3,500 mg) per day. Side effects of excessive choline include low blood pressure, sweating, diarrhea, and a fishy body odor.

Healthy choline sources

A single egg yolk contains about 125 mg of choline, or about 23% of your daily requirement, making it one of the best choline sources in the American diet.
Only grass fed beef liver beats it, with 430 mg of choline per 100-gram serving.
Other good sources of choline include: chicken liver, wild-caught salmon, shiitake mushrooms, chicken, beef (grass-fed), wheat germ, raw milk, Brussels sprouts, krill oil

Summary

Eggs were long demonized for their cholesterol content, with 1960s–1990s guidelines (including the American Heart Association’s limit of three per week and the Food Pyramid) urging restriction.
These recommendations rested on weak evidence—animal studies on rabbits, observational correlations, and extreme intakes—rather than solid human data. Industry interests and low-fat dogma amplified the fear, while bodies naturally regulate cholesterol production.

Modern research has reversed this view. Large studies, including a Harvard analysis of 117,000 people, found no link between moderate egg consumption and heart disease risk in healthy individuals. By 2015, U.S. dietary guidelines dropped cholesterol limits.

Eggs are now recognized as nutrient-dense: one provides high-quality protein plus vitamins A, B2, B5, B12, selenium, lutein, and zeaxanthin for eye health.
Choline stands out—about 113–125 mg per egg (roughly 25% of daily needs). Choline supports cell membranes, brain signaling, memory, fetal development (reducing neural-tube defects), liver fat export (helping prevent NAFLD), and anti-inflammatory effects that can lower insulin resistance.

Most adults, especially pregnant women, athletes, and vegans, fall short of recommended intake; eggs are among the best food sources.
Organic pastured eggs are preferable to eggs from confined animal feeding operations.

Eggs also excel in cooking (binding, emulsifying, leavening). Recent avian flu outbreaks have driven up prices, creating irony after decades of unnecessary avoidance.