Good Health

Friday, October 2, 2015

What Are Benefits of Drinking Apple Juice?

Last Updated: Feb 18, 2014 | By William Gamonski

Apple juice is a good alternative to soda and other soft drinks, especially because it contains vitamin C and healthy polyphenol antioxidants that are essential for overall health. Research suggests that consuming a moderate amount of apple juice as part of your daily diet might provide a few health advantages.

Apple juice might help avoid the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disease characterized by loss of memory and confusion, according to researchers from the University of Massachusetts. Scientists discovered that mice fed the equivalent of two glasses of apple juice per day for one month experienced decreases in the production of beta-amyloid, a protein that forms plaques in the brain that are responsible for the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to website Science Daily. However, further research needs to be conducted on humans.

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center reviewed the literature regarding the impact of apples and apple juice on the risk of cancer. They concluded that animal studies have shown apples and apple juice to be effective in reducing the risk of colon, skin and breast cancers, according to findings published in the October 2008 issue of the journal “Planta Medica.”

Scientists from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute investigated the impact of fruit consumption on asthmatic symptoms, such as wheezing, in childhood. They reported in the June 2007 issue of the “European Respiratory Journal” that children drinking apple juice once a day experienced decreases in wheezing frequency.

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Drinking cloudy apple juice might be healthier than clear apple juice, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Medical University of Warsaw and the Agricultural University of Wroclaw. They discovered that cloudy apple juice has a higher amount of polyphenols, which are antioxidant compounds associated with destroying disease- and illness-causing free radicals, according to research published in the January 2007 issue of the “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.”

What Are the Wonder Health Benefits of Drinking Apple Juice

How apple juice is good for health?

Everybody is familiar with the fact that “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”. This precise statement shows the relevance and significance of eating apple and drinking apple juice. Apple juice promotes healthy body due to its enough power packed disease fighting vitamins. Apple juice is associated with important phytonutrients, which counter many health hazards like cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease and blood pressure. Because of its antioxidants content, it reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. Apple is the richest source of phenolic compounds, which directly absorbed into the blood stream. Health Benefits of Apple Juice

“Apple juice with 3apples“. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Apple juice is the wonderful healthiest juice to keep you away from diseases and ailments. Apple is grown across the world and equally cherish by the people due to its delicious, enriched nutrient facts and incredible health benefits.

Top 10 surprising benefits of Apple juice

1. Apple juice for glowing skin

Apple juice is highly beneficial for skin related problems and hair. Apple juice can be used as home remedy to treat skin problems such as inflammation, itching, cracked skin, pimples, acne, and wrinkles. Apple juice is good against dandruff. Application of apple juice over the scalp followed by washing it after few minutes is good in dandruff prevention. Raw apple juice contains enough amount of vitamin C, which keeps your ligaments, tendons and skin healthy by producing collagen

2. Apple juice for diabetes prevention

Drinking of apple juice is linked with lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. The presence of phyto-chemicals in apple is good in blood sugar regulation. These phenolic compounds stimulate the beta cells in the pancreas to secrete more insulin and helps in absorption of glucose from the digestive tract. Apple, especially the green one is good for diabetes due to its rich fiber content.

3. Apple juice for weight loss

Apple juice has low calorific value. Apple juice has low amount of sodium that helps to release excess water from the body. Presence of extra water in the body also gives the impression of heaviness and obese. Apple juice is full of fiber that makes your stomach full and discourages you from overeating.

4. Apple juice is good for heart

Apple juice is loaded with antioxidants. It is having important bio-chemical compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids. These compounds are good in promoting heart health. Potassium is also seen with these products and good for heart. Potassium controls heart’s electrical activity and manages the acid-base ratio. One cup of apple juice provides more Potassium than the body’s daily requirement. Drinking of apple juice is also linked with decreased risk of stroke. Regular drinking of apple juice prevents the hardening of arteries due to rich amount of vitamin C. Apple juice helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the body thereby save you from many cardiac problems. Drinking apple juice every day is enabled you developing resistance against many diseases.

5. Apple juice for asthma prevention

Apple juice is loaded with flavonoids, which is effective in prevention of asthma attacks. This anti-oxidant makes your lungs function smooth. In a recent research, it has found that the positive association between lungs function and super antioxidant flavonoids. The drinking of apple juice regularly reduces the risk of developing asthma by 30-40 per cent. Asthma patients who drinks apple juice regularly, experiences less wheezing and asthma attack due to high amount of vitamin C and profuse antioxidants.

6. Apple juice for liver health

Apple juice due to its alkaline nature helps to flush out toxins and waste products from the body. It is good in maintain the pH level of the body. Apple skin contains pectin, which is beneficial in smooth function of the digestive system. Thus apple juice acts like as liver cleanser.

7. Apple juice prevents cancer

Apple juice helps to combat cancer, especially the lung cancer and colon cancer. The super anti oxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids in apple are helpful in prevention of cancer. Apple is linked to antimutagenic activity, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory mechanisms and antiproliferative. It also prevents cancer like skin and mammary. Apple juice along with peel offers more cancer benefits because quercetin content is more abundant in the peel, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

8. Apple juice improves immunity

Apple juice has the adequate amount of vitamin C, which boosts your immunity thereby prevents you from many diseases caused by virus and bacteria. The presence of vitamin C and iron is also effective in making your bones stronger.

9. Apple juice cures constipation

Apple juice should be taken by person who is experiencing constipation problems. Apple juice contains sorbitol, which helps to extract water from the large intestine into colon thus facilitate easy passes of stool. To have the better benefits of it, take one glass of apple juice daily. Apple contains a natural laxative. When its juice are taken, ensures the bowel movement and improves the intestinal power to push water through the gastrointestinal tract. Bowel movement also reduces the chances of colon cancer.

10. Apple’s nutrition facts

Apple’s maximum nutrients are found on the skin or just below the skin. Apple has the adequate amount of pectin and fiber. Apple juice has the good amount of vitamin A, C and B6. Drinking a cup of apple juice means taking 10 different types of vitamins at a time. The juice also contains important minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese and iron. Apple juice has multiples phytonutrients such as ellagic acid, malic acid, chlorogenic acid, and quercetin. It is low in sodium and contains no fat and cholesterol.

Health benefits of apple peel

Apple peel has many health and medicinal benefits. The apple peel is full of antioxidants like catechin, procyanidins, cholrogenic acid and ploridizin. These powerful antioxidants in apple peel checks the growth of liver cancer and colon cancer.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Why Pomegranate is good for you?

SHARE452TWEET9COMMENT3EMAIL Pomegranate season is underway. Markets are teeming with this glorious red fruit, supermarket shelves are packed with pomegranate juices, and cosmetic stores are promoting pomegranate oil-infused creams. The fruit-with-a-crown is one of the ritual foods for the Rosh Hashana holiday. It is understood to be the fruit that grew in the Garden of Eden and which biblical scouts brought to Moses to show the fertility of the promised land. It is also said to have 613 seeds – corresponding to the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. The pomegranate is a fun-to-eat but messy treat packing a tart and sweet taste. And this beautiful fruit is celebrated for its medicinal powers. ISRAEL21c gives you 10 great reasons to add pomegranates to your shopping list: 1. Pomegranates are good for you The pomegranate is known as a superfood. Its jewel-like seeds (arils) have been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. Packed with powerful antioxidants and vitamins, this ruby-red fruit has been shown to be a cure-all for just about any ailment. It helps stomach upsets, menopausal hot flashes, hemorrhoids, conjunctivitis, osteoarthritis, lowers blood pressure, stimulates the immune system, wards off the flu, reduces inflammation, reduces risk of heart disease and lowers cholesterol. “The peel is good for the heart and blood vessels; the white membrane is good for stopping diarrhea and good for wounds and ulcers of the mouth and throat. The fruit also strengthens the brain, cleanses the body and blood from toxins, and is very good at expelling worms from the intestines,” Merav Altman-Adler, who practices classic Chinese medicine, tells ISRAEL21c. Pomegranate seeds are beautiful and healthful.Pomegranate seeds are beautiful and healthful. 2. Pomegranate juice is heart-healthy “The most important new issue is the cardiovascular protection of pomegranate,” says Prof. Michael Aviram, head of the Lipid Research Laboratory of Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center and one of Israel’s top pomegranate researchers. Pomegranate juice packs a high antioxidant potency punch and protects against heart attack and stroke. According to new research coming out of Aviram’s lab and an article he co-authored in Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal in April 2013, this royal red juice has an even higher concentration of antioxidants than other sources of dietary antioxidants such as red wine, grape juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice and green tea. 3. Pomegranates help combat prostate cancer, diabetes A Technion-Israel Institute of Technology study led by Aviram showed that the antioxidants found in pomegranate juice may be especially beneficial to diabetes patients. Researchers found that drinking pomegranate juice reduced the uptake of oxidized “bad” LDL cholesterol by immune cells, which is a major contributing factor to atherosclerosis. “Pomegranate at low dosages is also good for diabetics as the pomegranate sugar is not free (and harmful) but it is attached to the pomegranate’s unique phenolic antioxidants,” Aviram tells ISRAEL21c. Two other recent studies by British and American researchers show that components in pomegranate juice help prevent prostate cancer metastasis. But Aviram warns that while the fruit juice is beneficial, “Pomegranate is not a magic bullet” in curing diseases. 4. Pomegranates make dessert wine The Rimon Winery in Israel is one of the world’s top producers of this crimson dessert wine. Father-and-son duo Gabi and Avi Nahmias, from Moshav Kerem Ben Zimra in the Upper Galilee, developed a new strain of pomegranate for winemaking. In 2003, they produced just 2,000 bottles of pomegranate wine to test the market. Today, they ship more than 720,000 bottles across the globe. 5. There are different pomegranate varieties Israelis have innovated different varieties of pomegranates. Some are sweeter; others keep longer. According to the Agricultural Ministry, this year’s crop is expected to yield some 60,000 tons of fruit. Of that, 14,000 tons of pomegranates will be used by the domestic market and the rest will be exported, mostly to Europe. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev horticultural researchers have introduced three types of pomegranates to the market. Prof. Ze’ev Wiesman of the plant oil biotechnology lab led the team that improved the genetic makeup of the new pomegranates — Narda, Rotem and Nitzan. Wiesman says they taste better, are more vivid in color, and ripen earlier – as was the case this season, when Israeli pomegranates hit the global market in July 2013, three weeks earlier than usual. 6. Peeling pomegranates can be stain-free Two Israeli companies have found revolutionary ways of extracting the fruit’s seeds and oils so they can be used commercially in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Juran Technologies of Rishon Lezion uses its ArilSystem to extract a whopping 600-1,800 kilograms of pomegranate seeds in just one hour. The ArilSystem can also remove the tough peel and inner membranes of the fruit, important for the beverage industry since the tannins in pomegranate membranes add a bitter taste to the juice. “Pomegranate is an evolving product worldwide,” Juran CEO and Marketing Director Avner Galili, told ISRAEL21c in an earlier interview. “We believe the only way to keep the pomegranate sector profitable is by industrializing it — fresh-cutting, juicing, drying and freezing.” Juran’s seed separator at work. Juran’s seed separator at work. Caesarea-based Hefestus uses water and sound-wave technology to separate the pomegranate peel and its paper-thin membrane from the arils. To achieve optimal long-lasting shelf life, Hefestus packs the fruit in sealed trays using its patented Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) technology. 7. Pomegranates keep you young Chinese herbology cites pomegranate juice as a longevity treatment. And thanks to the pomegranate’s antioxidant extracts, modern science and the cosmetics industry agree that topical application of products containing the ruby red fruit can keep wrinkles at bay. Pomegranate-tinged anti-aging creams, massage oils, masques and toners are readily available. Shavit – an Israeli company specializing in all-natural beauty products – produces a line of pomegranate-infused products that are exported around the world. “Pomegranate oil is a rich source of punicic acid and this is a very strong antioxidant that helps fight wrinkles,” Aliza Shavit, a pharmacist by training and co-founder of the company, tells ISRAEL21c. Punicic acid is a rare omega-5 conjugated fatty acid that has been shown to improve skin tone and elasticity. “Every day our faces are exposed to harmful sun rays and pollutants,” Shavit says. “The pomegranate extracts help keep the skin healthy.” Rimonest – a company funded by the Technion and led by head researcher Dr. Ephraim Lansky has also developed a line of products for the functional food, functional beverage, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. Dr. Ephraim Lansky with a pomegranate flower.Dr. Ephraim Lansky with a pomegranate flower. 8. Pomegranates are packed with religious history and symbolism The pomegranate has enjoyed celebrity status for millennia. Widely believed to have originated in Persia (modern-day Iran), the fruit is mentioned in ancient Babylonian texts, the Bible, the Homeric Hymns and the Quran. Pomegranates appear in Greek mythology, Egyptian papyrus, Tang Dynasty characters, and ancient Armenian texts. The Greeks called pomegranates the “fruit of the dead,” relating to the story of Hades tricking Persephone into eating its seeds in order to keep her as his wife. Ancient Egyptians saw the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. In Judaism, it symbolizes fruitfulness, and in Hinduism it represents prosperity and fertility. 9. Pomegranates are beautiful The pomegranate figures prominently in Israeli artworks, such as this mosaic in Jerusalem by Ruslan Sergeev.The pomegranate figures prominently in Israeli artworks, such as this mosaic in Jerusalem by Ruslan Sergeev. Pomegranates are a favorite theme in visual and literary arts. King Solomon, in the Song of Songs, cites the fruit in one of the most famous love poems: “Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.” Thanks to their all-religions symbolism, pomegranates can be found in artworks throughout the centuries. Famous paintings include Early Renaissance Italian painter Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pomegranate (ca. 148) and French painter William-Adolphe Bouquereau’s Girl with a Pomegranate, 1875. Want a modern take on pomegranates? Stop by any of Israel’s crafts markets and you’ll be inundated with pomegranate-themed ceramics, woodwork, clay, photography and drawings. 10. They taste great! Pomegranates would hardly enjoy such celebrity status if they tasted as bitter as their peel. But crack open this pink-red-purplish fruit and dig in. A bit tart but sweet too, pomegranates are a tasty and nutritious snack. And if you’re not a fan of purple-tinged fingers, you can always stop by a fresh juice stand or order pomegranate ice cream. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Paranoid Personality Disorder Symptoms

By Psych Central Staff
~ 4 min read

People with paranoid personality disorder are generally characterized by having a long-standing pattern of pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others. A person with paranoid personality disorder will nearly always believe that other people’s motives are suspect or even malevolent.

Individuals with this disorder assume that other people will exploit, harm, or deceive them, even if no evidence exists to support this expectation. While it is fairly normal for everyone to have some degree of paranoia about certain situations in their lives (such as worry about an impending set of layoffs at work), people with paranoid personality disorder take this to an extreme — it pervades virtually every professional and personal relationship they have.

Individuals with Paranoid Personality Disorder are generally difficult to get along with and often have problems with close relationships. Their excessive suspiciousness and hostility may be expressed in overt argumentativeness, in recurrent complaining, or by quiet, apparently hostile aloofness. Because they are hypervigilant for potential threats, they may act in a guarded, secretive, or devious manner and appear to be “cold” and lacking in tender feelings. Although they may appear to be objective, rational, and unemotional, they more often display a labile range of affect, with hostile, stubborn, and sarcastic expressions predominating. Their combative and suspicious nature may elicit a hostile response in others, which then serves to confirm their original expectations.

Because individuals with Paranoid Personality Disorder lack trust in others, they have an excessive need to be self-sufficient and a strong sense of autonomy. They also need to have a high degree of control over those around them. They are often rigid, critical of others, and unable to collaborate, and they have great difficulty accepting criticism.

A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates from the norm of the individual’s culture. The pattern is seen in two or more of the following areas: cognition; affect; interpersonal functioning; or impulse control. The enduring pattern is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations. It typically leads to significant distress or impairment in social, work or other areas of functioning. The pattern is stable and of long duration, and its onset can be traced back to early adulthood or adolescence.

Symptoms of Paranoid Personality Disorder

Paranoid personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. This usually begins in early adulthood and presents in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

Suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her
Is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates
Is reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her
Reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events
Persistently bears grudges (i.e., is unforgiving of insults, injuries, or slights)
Perceives attacks on his or her character or reputation that are not apparent to others, and is quick to react angrily or to counterattack
Has recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding fidelity of spouse or sexual partner

Paranoid personality disorder generally isn’t diagnosed when another psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia or a bipolar or depressive disorder with psychotic features, has already been diagnosed in the person.

Because personality disorders describe long-standing and enduring patterns of behavior, they are most often diagnosed in adulthood. It is uncommon for them to be diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, because a child or teen is under constant development, personality changes and maturation. However, if it is diagnosed in a child or teen, the features must have been present for at least 1 year.

Paranoid personality disorder is more prevalent in males than females, and occurs somewhere between 2.3 and 4.4 percent in the general population.

Like most personality disorders, paranoid personality disorder typically will decrease in intensity with age, with many people experiencing few of the most extreme symptoms by the time they are in the 40s or 50s.

How is Paranoid Personality Disorder Diagnosed?

Personality disorders such as paranoid personality disorder are typically diagnosed by a trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Family physicians and general practitioners are generally not trained or well-equipped to make this type of psychological diagnosis. So while you can initially consult a family physician about this problem, they should refer you to a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment. There are no laboratory, blood or genetic tests that are used to diagnose paranoid personality disorder.

Many people with paranoid personality disorder don’t seek out treatment. People with personality disorders, in general, do not often seek out treatment until the disorder starts to significantly interfere or otherwise impact a person’s life. This most often happens when a person’s coping resources are stretched too thin to deal with stress or other life events.

A diagnosis for paranoid personality disorder is made by a mental health professional comparing your symptoms and life history with those listed here. They will make a determination whether your symptoms meet the criteria necessary for a personality disorder diagnosis.

Causes of Paranoid Personality Disorder

Researchers today don’t know what causes paranoid personality disorder. There are many theories, however, about the possible causes of paranoid personality disorder. Most professionals subscribe to a biopsychosocial model of causation — that is, the causes of are likely due to biological and genetic factors, social factors (such as how a person interacts in their early development with their family and friends and other children), and psychological factors (the individual’s personality and temperament, shaped by their environment and learned coping skills to deal with stress). This suggests that no single factor is responsible — rather, it is the complex and likely intertwined nature of all three factors that are important. If a person has this personality disorder, research suggests that there is a slightly increased risk for this disorder to be “passed down” to their children.

Treatment of Paranoid Personality Disorder

Treatment of paranoid personality disorder typically involves long-term psychotherapy with a therapist that has experience in treating this kind of personality disorder. Medications may also be prescribed to help with specific troubling and debilitating symptoms. For more information about treatment, please see paranoid personality disorder treatment.

Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 5 Feb 2014
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

Health Benefits of Eating Eggs

10 Proven Health Benefits of Eggs (No. 1 is My Favorite)

By Kris Gunnars, BSc | May, 2014 |

618,737

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Eggs are among the few foods that I would classify as “superfoods.”

They are loaded with nutrients, some of which are rare in the modern diet.

Here are 10 health benefits of eggs that have been confirmed in human studies.

1. Eggs Are Incredibly Nutritious

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet.

A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken.

A single large boiled egg contains (1):

Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
Folate: 5% of the RDA.
Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA.
Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA.
Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA.
Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA.
Selenium: 22% of the RDA.
Eggs also contain decent amounts of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Zinc.

This is coming with 77 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats.

Eggs also contain various other trace nutrients that are important for health.

Really… eggs are pretty much the perfect food, they contain a little bit of almost every nutrient we need.

If you can get your hands on pastured or Omega-3 enriched eggs, then these are even better. They have more Omega-3s and are much higher in Vitamin A and E (2, 3).

Bottom Line: Whole eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet, containing a little bit of almost every nutrient we need. Omega-3 enriched and/or pastured eggs are even healthier.

2. Eggs Are High in Cholesterol, But They Don’t Adversely Affect Blood Cholesterol

It is true that eggs are high in cholesterol.

In fact, a single egg contains 212 mg, which is over half of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg.

However… it’s important to keep in mind that cholesterol in the diet doesn’t necessarily raise cholesterol in the blood (4, 5).

The liver actually produces large amounts of cholesterol every single day. When we eat more eggs, the liver just produces less cholesterol instead, so it evens out (6, 7).

The response to egg consumption varies between individual (8):

In 70% of people, eggs don’t raise cholesterol at all.

In the other 30% (termed “hyper responders”), eggs can mildly raise Total and LDL cholesterol.

However, as I will outline later in the article, the situation is a bit more complicated than that and these changes are actually beneficial.

(Exceptions… people with genetic disorders like familial hypercholesterolemia or a gene type called ApoE4 may want to minimize or avoid eggs.).

Bottom Line: Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not have adverse effects on cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people.

3. Eggs Raise HDL (The “Good”) Cholesterol

HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein. It is often known as the “good” cholesterol (9).

People who have higher levels of HDL usually have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and various health problems (10, 11, 12, 13).

Eating eggs is a great way to increase HDL.

In one study, 2 eggs per day for 6 weeks increased HDL levels by 10% (14, 15, 16).

Bottom Line: Egg consumption consistently leads to elevated levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which is linked to a reduced risk of many diseases.

4. Eggs Contain Choline – an Important Nutrient That Most People Don’t Get Enough of

Choline is a nutrient that most people don’t even know exists.

Yet, it is an incredibly important substance and is often grouped with the B vitamins.

Choline is used to build cell membranes and has a role in producing signalling molecules in the brain, along with various other functions (17).

Dietary surveys have shown that about 90% of people in the U.S. are getting less than the recommended amount of choline (18).

Whole eggs are an excellent source of choline. A single egg contains more than 100 mg of this very important nutrient.

Bottom Line: Eggs are among the best dietary sources of choline, a nutrient that is incredibly important but most people aren’t getting enough of.

5. Eggs Turn LDL Cholesterol From Small, Dense to Large, Linked to a Reduced Risk of Heart Disease

LDL cholesterol is generally known as the “bad” cholesterol.

It is well known that having high levels of LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart disease (19, 20).

But what many people don’t realize is that there are subtypes of LDL that have to do with the size of the particles.

There are small, dense LDL particles and then there are large LDL particles.

Many studies have shown that people who have predominantly small, dense LDL particles have a higher risk of heart disease than people who have mostly large LDL particles (21, 22, 23).

Even if eggs tend to mildly raise LDL cholesterol in some people, studies show that the particles change from small, dense to large LDL… which is a good thing (24, 25).

Bottom Line: Egg consumption appears to change the pattern of LDL particles from small, dense LDL (bad) to large LDL, which is linked to a reduced heart disease risk.

6. Eggs Contain Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Antioxidants That Have Major Benefits For Eye Health

One of the consequences of ageing is that eyesight tends to get worse.

There are several nutrients that help counteract some of the degenerative processes that can affect our eyes.

Two of these are called Lutein and Zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants that tend to build up in the retina of the eye (26, 27).

Studies show that consuming adequate amounts of these nutrients can significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, two very common eye disorders (28, 29, 30).

Egg yolks actually contain large amounts of both Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

In one controlled trial, eating just 1.3 egg yolks per day for 4.5 weeks increased blood levels of Lutein by 28-50% and Zeaxanthin by 114-142% (31).

Eggs are also high in Vitamin A, which deserves another mention here. Vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of blindness in the world (32).

Bottom Line: The antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin are very important for eye health and can help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts. Eggs are high in both of them.

7. In the Case of Omega-3 or Pastured Eggs, They Lower Triglycerides as Well

Of course, it doesn’t just matter what we eat… it also matters what the foods that we eat, ate.

In this regard, not all eggs are created equal. Their nutrient composition varies depending on how the hens were fed and raised.

Eggs from hens that are raised on pasture and/or fed Omega-3 enriched feeds tend to be much higher in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce blood levels of triglycerides, a well known risk factor for heart disease (33, 34).

Studies show that consuming Omega-3 enriched eggs is a very effective way to reduce triglycerides in the blood. In one of the studies, just 5 omega-3 enriched eggs per week for 3 weeks reduced triglycerides by 16-18% (35, 36).

Bottom Line: Omega-3 enriched and pastured eggs contain significant amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. Eating these types of eggs is an effective way to reduce blood triglycerides.

8. Eggs Are High in Quality Protein, With All The Essential Amino Acids in The Right Ratios

Proteins are the main building blocks of the human body.

They’re used to make all sorts of tissues and molecules that serve both structural and functional purposes.

Getting enough protein in the diet is very important and studies show that currently recommended amounts may be too low.

Well… eggs are an excellent source of protein, with a single large egg containing 6 grams.

Eggs contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratios, so our bodies are well equipped to make full use of the protein in them.

Eating adequate protein can help with weight loss, increase muscle mass, lower blood pressure and optimize bone health… to name a few (37, 38, 39, 40).

Bottom Line: Eggs are fairly high in quality animal protein and contain all the essential amino acids that humans need.

9. Eggs do NOT Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease and May Reduce The Risk of Stroke

For many decades, eggs have been unfairly demonized.

It has been claimed that because of the cholesterol in them, they must be bad for the heart.

Many studies published in recent years have examined the relationship between egg consumption and the risk of heart disease.

In one review of 17 studies with a total of 263,938 participants, no association was found between egg consumption and heart disease or stroke (41).

Many other studies have led to the same conclusion (42, 43).

However… some studies have found that people with diabetes who eat eggs have an increased risk of heart disease (44).

Whether the eggs are actually causing the increased risk isn’t known, because these types of studies can only show statistical association. They can not prove that eggs caused anything.

It is possible that diabetics who eat eggs are less health conscious, on average.

On a low-carb diet, which is by far the best diet for diabetics, eating eggs leads to improvements in risk factors for heart disease (45, 46).

Bottom Line: Many studies have looked at egg consumption and the risk of heart disease and found no association. However, some studies have found an increased risk in people with type 2 diabetes.

10. Eggs Are Highly Fulfilling and Tend to Make You Eat Fewer Calories, Helping You to Lose Weight

Eggs are incredibly fulfilling.

They are a high protein food… but protein is by far the most fulfilling macronutrient (47).

Eggs score high on a scale called the Satiety Index, which measures the ability of foods to induce feelings of fullness and reduce subsequent calorie intake (48).

In one study of 30 overweight women, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast increased feelings of fullness and made them automatically eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours (49).

In another study, replacing a bagel breakfast with an egg breakfast caused significant weight loss over a period of 8 weeks (50).