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Eggs (whole)

Gallus gallus domesticus

Also known as Hen eggs, Chicken eggs, Whole egg

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A complete package of protein, fat and micronutrients built to grow a chick, split between a protein-and-water white and a fat-and-nutrient-dense yolk. Egg protein is the reference against which other dietary proteins have historically been scored.

Muscle & Physical PerformanceWeight ManagementHeart HealthBrain & Cognitive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Moderate evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis. Whole egg is a benchmark high-quality protein, and controlled trials report a greater muscle protein synthesis response to whole egg than to an equal amount of egg white protein alone.

What may be going on: A complete essential amino acid profile with substantial leucine; the yolk fraction appears to add something beyond its amino acid contribution, though what is not settled.

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
Moderate evidence

Some trials report that an egg-based breakfast increases fullness and reduces energy intake at the following meal compared with a carbohydrate-based breakfast of the same calories. Effects on longer-term body weight are much less clear.

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

1 source

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

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Research on egg intake and blood cholesterol is genuinely mixed. Pooled trials show modest rises in both LDL and HDL with higher egg intake, with wide variation between individuals and no consistent effect on cardiovascular events in most cohort analyses.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

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

Cognitive function

Brain & Cognitive Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for eggs improving cognition. The claim rests on choline, which is genuinely required for acetylcholine synthesis, but no controlled trial has shown that eating eggs changes cognitive performance in people who are not deficient.

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

1 source

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

Ask about Eggs (whole)

Ask about Eggs (whole)

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
Calories143 kcal7%
Protein12.6 g25%
Total fat9.51 g12%
Carbohydrate0.72 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0.37 g—
Water76.2 g—
Fats
Saturated fat3.13 g16%
Monounsaturated fat3.66 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.91 g—
Cholesterol372 mg124%
ALA (omega-3)0.036 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.058 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.0070 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)1.55 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A160 µg18%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D2 µg10%
Vitamin E1.05 mg7%
Vitamin K0.3 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.04 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.457 mg35%
Niacin (B3)0.075 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.53 mg31%
Vitamin B60.17 mg10%
Folate47 µg12%
Vitamin B120.89 µg37%
Choline294 mg53%
Minerals
Calcium56 mg4%
Iron1.75 mg10%
Magnesium12 mg3%
Phosphorus198 mg16%
Potassium138 mg3%
Sodium142 mg6%
Zinc1.29 mg12%
Copper0.072 mg8%
Manganese0.028 mg1%
Selenium30.7 µg56%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin503 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.06 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, whole, raw, fresh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171287).

% 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.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

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

    Cooking denatures egg protein and raises its digestibility from roughly half to nearly all of what is eaten, measured directly in human ileostomy studies.

  • cookedIncreases biotin availability

    Heat denatures avidin in the white, releasing biotin that would otherwise be bound and unabsorbed.

  • boiledPreserves lutein and zeaxanthin

    The yolk carotenoids survive ordinary cooking well, though prolonged high-heat frying causes some loss and oxidation of yolk cholesterol.

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

    Egg allergy

    One of the most common childhood food allergies and a major regulated allergen. Most reactions are to white proteins such as ovomucoid; many children outgrow it, and some tolerate baked egg before they tolerate lightly cooked egg.

  • Worth knowing

    Salmonella in raw or lightly cooked egg

    Raw egg in mayonnaise, mousse or a runny yolk carries a Salmonella risk that matters most in pregnancy, early childhood, older age and immunosuppression. Pasteurised shell eggs and pasteurised liquid egg avoid it.

  • Worth knowing

    Individual cholesterol responsiveness

    A minority of people are hyper-responders whose LDL rises noticeably with dietary cholesterol. Advice on egg intake for people with diabetes or established cardiovascular disease remains more cautious than for the general population.

  • Too much

    Raw egg white and biotin

    Raw egg white contains avidin, which binds biotin and blocks its absorption. This only matters with sustained intake of large amounts of raw white; cooking denatures avidin.