Cook those eggs

[bellonsbodyworks]

The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 10 October 1998, pp. 1716-1722

Egg proteins contribute substantially to the daily nitrogen allowances in Western countries and are generally considered to be highly digestible. However, information is lacking on the true ileal digestibility of either raw or cooked egg protein. The recent availability of stable isotope-labeled egg protein allowed determination of the true ileal digestibility of egg protein by means of noninvasive tracer techniques. Five ileostomy patients were studied, once after ingestion of a test meal consisting of 25 g of cooked 13C- and 15N-labeled egg protein, and once after ingestion of the same test meal in raw form. Ileal effluents and breath samples were collected at regular intervals after consumption of the test meal and analyzed for 15N- and 13C-content, respectively. The true ileal digestibility of cooked and raw egg protein amounted to 90.9% (cooked) and 51.3% (raw) respectively. A significant negative correlation (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) was found between the 13C-recovery in breath and the recovery of exogenous N in the ileal effluents. In summary, using the 15N-dilution technique we demonstrated that the assimilation of cooked egg protein is efficient, albeit incomplete, and that the true ileal digestibility of egg protein is significantly enhanced by heat-pretreatment. A simple 13C-breath test technique furthermore proved to be a suitable alternative for the evaluation of the true ileal digestibility of egg protein........

Egg white protein is generally considered to be less digestible than heat-pretreated egg white protein. In this study, it was shown that after ingestion of 25 g of raw egg protein, almost 50% is malabsorbed over 24 h. The higher digestibility of cooked egg protein presumably results from structural changes in the protein molecule induced by heating, thereby enabling the digestive enzymes to gain broader access to the peptide bonds. It has been suggested that the reduced digestibility of raw egg white is at least partially related to the presence of trypsin inhibitors in raw egg white

[snoack]

...so...that raw egg I threw into my whey shake this morning...that was a waste of time?

[desert goggles]

Hmmmm. I normally cook my eggs unless I'm in a hurry, Like this morning. Put four eggs in the oatmeal and took off. I used to hear a lot of negativity about the raw egg, but never had a problem with it. Informative post.

[mikieson]

People have been eating raw eggs since the beginning of time. I eat them Or drink them with my shakes.

If there was a problem with it...I would have been sick a long time ago.

[Steve_T]

That's some good information. Thanks for the post.

[GreenWave1]

Originally Posted by mikieson

People have been eating raw eggs since the beginning of time. I eat them Or drink them with my shakes.

If there was a problem with it...I would have been sick a long time ago.

It's not about getting sick, it's about protein absorbtion. According to the study, you don't absorb the egg protein as well when it is raw as opposed to cooked.

I eat powdered egg whites every day. I'll have to check to see if they are heat treated or not.

Thanks for the info.

[OutOfStep]

Originally Posted by mikieson

People have been eating raw eggs since the beginning of time. I eat them Or drink them with my shakes.

If there was a problem with it...I would have been sick a long time ago.

Try reading the study next time.