What Is Omega 3 in Eggs?
Public awareness of the health hazards of dietary cholesterol began in the 1970s. Consumer perception of eggs as a high cholesterol food drove a decline in egg consumption. The egg industry responded with a re-engineered alternative to conventional eggs. High alpha-linolenic acid flax seed and fish oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids were added to chicken feed. The resultant "designer egg" did not have reduced cholesterol, but it did contain an increased amount of fatty acids known to offset cholesterol risks. In 1993, the FDA ruled against allowing labels on designer egg cartons to claim heart health benefits, but designer eggs continued to gain market share. For April 17, 2009, the USDA Weekly Retail Shell Egg and Egg Products Feature Activity report stated that omega-3 eggs accounted for 30 percent of the previous week's shell egg market.
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Omega-3 Defined
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Fatty acids are straight carbon chains with hydrogen atoms bonded on both sides of the carbons. When carbon bond sites are not bonded to hydrogen, the adjacent carbons in the chain are double bonded. If all potential hydrogen bond sites are bonded, then the fat is "saturated" with hydrogen. If one potential hydrogen bond is absent, then the fat is mono-unsaturated. If more than one hydrogen is absent, then the fat is poly-unsaturated. The term "omega-3" refers to a specific carbon bond site that is not hydrogen bonded.
Fatty Acids in Designer Eggs
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Flax seed contains alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), a poly-unsaturated "essential" fatty acid. Essential fatty acids must be consumed in the diet and cannot be produced in the body. The body converts LNA to the omega-3 acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). As first noted by Caston and Leeson and published in "Poultry Science" in 1990, in eggs of hens fed flax seed, alpha-linolenic acid persists from the flax seed into the egg yolk and is the main fatty acid in the yolk. Higher levels of EPA and DHA in the egg yolk confirm that hens can metabolize alpha-linolenic acid to omega-3's that persist in designer eggs.
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Eskimo
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As first reported by Dyerburg, Bang and Hjorne in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in September of 1975, Greenland Eskimo groups who consumed a high fat diet of blubber and fish had significantly lower coronary atherosclerosis than Americans and western Europeans. They concluded that high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the fish were offsetting the health risks of high fat blubber. Soon omega-3 fish fats were recommended for inclusion in the diets of patients with inflammatory diseases and in particular for diabetics at risk of atherosclerosis.
Cholesterol Health
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Cholesterol is used in every cell in the body and is a component of vitamin D, cell membranes, bile, and the sterol hormones, including estrogen and androgen. The official position of the American Heart Association is that the biosynthesis of about 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol each day by the human liver meets all the body's cholesterol needs. A high saturated fat (animal fat) diet results in increased cholesterol biosynthesis, and in conjunction with additional cholesterol in the diet, can result in deposits of cholesterol in the arteries and in heart disease.
Cholesterol in Eggs
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A conventional egg yolk contains 213 milligrams of cholesterol, so a three-egg omelet at Sunday brunch is more than twice the recommended daily dietary cholesterol intake for those with normal levels of the "bad" cholesterol LDL (low density lipoprotein). That's not counting the cheese in the omelet or the cream in the coffee. Eggs are an excellent source of complete protein and a balanced source of vitamins other than vitamin C. One egg at breakfast is an acceptable choice for a person with normal LDL, but the cholesterol at breakfast should be accounted against cholesterol consumed at other meals during the day.
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