Eggs are a bit controversial when it comes to taste – people either love them or hate them. If you’re in the latter group, you might want to rethink your stance. Eggs are an excellent source of choline, a nutrient many Americans lack.
Choline is found in eggs, as well as other foods like ground beef, cauliflower, and tofu. It’s similar to B-vitamins and shares many of their benefits. Interestingly, we’re only beginning to understand how beneficial choline is for our health.
Most Americans don’t meet the daily choline intake recommendations, which are 550 milligrams for men and 425 milligrams for women. Just one egg provides 112 milligrams, so having two scrambled eggs for breakfast gives you a great start toward your daily needs.
A study from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2008 showed that women with higher choline intake had a 24 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those with low intake. That’s a significant difference, highlighting the need for more choline in women’s diets.
Choline is crucial for everyone, but it’s especially vital for women of childbearing age. Research indicates that choline supports brain development in fetuses and infants, making it essential for pregnant and breastfeeding women to get enough.
But the benefits of choline extend beyond just early development. Men need choline too, as it helps remove excess cholesterol and fat from the liver. Without enough choline, fat can accumulate in the liver, leading to hepatosteatosis. Adequate choline intake can prevent and even reverse this condition.
Furthermore, higher choline intake can reduce inflammation by lowering levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, which are markers of inflammation, by up to 20 percent.
So why don’t people get enough choline? The benefits of this nutrient have only been recognized in recent years. This underscores the importance of a varied, balanced diet, as there may be other beneficial nutrients in foods we haven’t fully discovered yet. To boost your health, make sure you’re getting more than the recommended amount of choline – and eating more eggs is a great way to start!