Know2eat

Egg white

Gallus gallus domesticus

What egg white has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Insufficient
4 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About egg white

The clear fraction of a hen egg surrounding the yolk, made up almost entirely of water and protein with essentially no fat, no cholesterol and very little of the micronutrient content of the whole egg. Ovalbumin is the dominant protein; the rest are the antimicrobial proteins that protect the yolk.

Also known as Albumen, Egg albumin, Glair

Muscle & Physical PerformanceWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Moderate

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Moderate evidence

Research suggests egg protein supports muscle protein synthesis after resistance exercise, and egg white is the reference protein against which others have long been scored for amino acid quality. Trials feeding whole egg alongside an equal amount of egg white protein found a larger response to the whole egg, so the white is not the whole story.

What may be going on: A complete essential amino acid profile with sufficient leucine to trigger the mTOR signalling pathway in skeletal muscle.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Some trials report greater fullness after high-protein breakfasts including egg than after lower-protein meals of equal energy. Most of that work used whole eggs, the trials are short, and the effect is attributable to protein generally rather than to egg white specifically.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Egg white

Ask about Egg white

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories52 kcal3%
Protein10.9 g22%
Total fat0.17 g0%
Carbohydrate0.73 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0.71 g—
Water87.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0 mg0%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.0040 mg0%
Riboflavin (B2)0.439 mg34%
Niacin (B3)0.105 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.19 mg4%
Vitamin B60.0050 mg0%
Folate4 µg1%
Vitamin B120.09 µg4%
Choline1.1 mg0%
Minerals
Calcium7 mg1%
Iron0.08 mg0%
Magnesium11 mg3%
Phosphorus15 mg1%
Potassium163 mg3%
Sodium166 mg7%
Zinc0.03 mg0%
Copper0.023 mg3%
Manganese0.011 mg0%
Selenium20 µg36%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.63 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Egg, white, raw, fresh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172183).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedIncreases protein digestibility and biotin availability

    Heating denatures both avidin, freeing biotin, and the protease inhibitors in raw white. Measured protein absorption from cooked egg is considerably higher than from raw egg.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    The main egg allergen fraction

    Egg is a major regulated allergen and most egg allergy is directed at white proteins — ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin and lysozyme — rather than at the yolk. Ovomucoid in particular is heat-stable, which is why some children who tolerate baked egg still react to lightly cooked white.

  • Worth knowing

    Raw egg white and biotin

    Raw egg white contains avidin, a protein that binds biotin tightly and blocks its absorption. Sustained consumption of large amounts of raw white has caused clinical biotin deficiency in documented case reports. Cooking denatures avidin and eliminates the problem.

  • Worth knowing

    Raw egg and Salmonella

    Raw or lightly cooked egg is a recognised vehicle for Salmonella. Vaccination programmes have reduced the risk substantially in some countries, but pregnancy, infant, older adult and immunosuppressed guidance still advises cooked or pasteurised egg.

  • Worth knowing

    Discarding the yolk discards most of the nutrition

    Choline, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate and the fat-soluble vitamins are all in the yolk. An egg-white omelette is a protein food and very little else.