Raw Egg Protein Digestibility

Hello there. I'm a late 20's healthy and physically fit male who's head spins uncontrollably when reading internet articles on drinking raw egg whites. It seems no one entity agrees as to whether its DIGESTABLE or NOT and opinions vary all across the board. I go to the gym regularly and because I'm trying to maintain/increase in muscle mass I've recently (past 2 months) started drinking raw egg whites. I should note: I'm not in any way grossed out by it and my stomach has been doing just fine with it...and I'm not at all concerned of a slight Salmonela risk...my immune system will take care of that if a threat materializes. I drink it raw as can be, usually crack 9 large or jumbo Grade A eggs in one sitting, throw out the egg yolk, and let the whites slip on down what ends up being nearly a 12oz. plastic cup of raw and straight as can be egg whites...no mixing here. On workout days I'll have 3 of these cups (so about 27 egg whites), one in the morning, one before and one after my workout. Non workout days usually only 2 plastic cups. Now besides horrendous gases which my roommates have already learned to put up with, and people saying I'm nasty and gross for drinking it...oh, and the grocery cashier looking at me like I'm insane for buying 10 to 15 dozen eggs at a time, I've done great with this plan and have actually gained 15 pounds of muscle in less than 2 months and I'm a short guy at 5'7". I realize you mention raw egg whites ARE digestible, but since there is so much contradicting information I wanted to know what sources back up these claims. I believe it IS digestible but I would like to know that my switch from Whey Protein (which can get VERY expensive) to raw egg whites was for a valid reason. Thanks for your website and thanks for reading along. I.H., Florida

My motto is: "Everything in moderation." Eating 27 eggs or egg whites per day in any form, either raw or cooked, does not appear to be moderate to me. It may be so that you have put on lots of muscle mass, because of the amount of protein which you are consuming. However, eating too much protein can put you at risk for kidney disease and osteoporosis if you consume large amounts of protein for long periods of time. Raw egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin, and avidin combines with biotin, an important B vitamin. Avidin is denatured or broken down when the egg white is cooked. Eating excessive raw egg whites for long periods of time will eventually lead to a biotin deficiency. One way to remedy this situation is to eat the whole egg, and include the yolk with the egg white if you are eating it raw. Egg yolks contain more than enough biotin to counteract this problem. Nature has a wonderful way of producing food, which if eaten in its natural form, will not cause any vitamin deficiencies. It is only when we human beings begin to separate and process natural foods into convenience or processed foods that we create these problems. Common sense, moderation, and variety are important concepts when creating and maintaining a healthy diet for life. Good luck with implementing these concepts.

I have started eating raw eggs daily. I directly jumped the gun by consuming two raw eggs for the first two days and now I am feeling bit strange this morning with little hunger and soar eyes. I am a thin guy and six feet tall and I want to gain weight. I go to the gym daily and thought raw egg would be perfect for me to gain mass quickly. What would be the ideal amount of raw egg consumption?

I am an otherwise very healthy middle aged male, but now very ill for the fourth straight day with Salmonella food poisoning caused by one bad egg. I stumbled upon this article while looking for symptom relief. My advice is to be very careful where you get your eggs, and good luck.

Hi, I eat Extra Large (59g) cage laid eggs. I just want to know the dangers involved with doing so and also I am 15 years of age. I would like to know if I should be drinking raw egg at this age. Thanks!

Hi, Yazan. Sorry, but we're not aware of any data relative to a person's age and consuming raw eggs.

Can you point me towards the recent studies that "have proved that eating raw egg protein is much more digestible." I would be very interested in reading them, as the only studies that I have come across claim the opposite. Thanks.

Hi, Mike. Here's a good place to start > Mercola.com Raw Eggs Articles

Thanks for the links to mercola.com. I've looked through them in detail. Unfortunately, he doesn't provide any data, just unsubstantiated claims (at least, I could not find any citations of studies that support his claims on raw egg digestibility.) Mercola claims that cooking eggs changes the shape of the proteins, leading to allergies and deactivating the proteins. This is an important claim, but I could not find any citations to support it. I have found this study from the Journal of Nutrition where they concluded that significantly more nutrients are absorbed from cooked eggs than from raw ones. I would be very interested in actual research that his been done that shows the benefits of raw egg consumption. Unfortunately, I keep finding claims that appear empty.

I have been doing raw eggs for a year now, what a difference. I keep part of the yolk when I do the whites. I'm 47 years old and feel the best in my life, I'm strong beyond belief and have put on some serious size. Just had my test level checked and it is 611 with no drugs. At 47, it's amazing with hard work and a little egg the difference.

I have been taking raw egg whites for three months - 3 dozens egg whites and one yolk--usually in shakes combining kale, salad greens, spinach, banana, blueberry, and stevia powder for extra sweetness. I eat tuna sushi and sashimi 2 to 3 times a week (5 pounds total). As an athlete and martial artist, I have never been more happy with my performance and a gain of ten pounds of solid muscle. My lab tests show ALL body chemical are within normal range. I eat raw organic eggs only. I rinse them with boiling water after letting them sit at room temperature for 2 hours. By preparing the eggs once a day and refrigerate the shakes, time can be saved.

I started eating raw egg whites when I started lifting weights. I was curious if raw egg whites are good for you. I spent hours and hours of researching, and here's what I found. Raw egg whites contain glycoprotein called avidin, while egg yolks contain biotin. Biotin id also called vitamin H or B7. It plays a roll in the Citric Acid Cycle, one of the four ways ATPs are created. It also acts as a catalyst in the reactions to synthesize fatty acids, in gluconeogenesis, and to metabolize leucine, according to Wiki. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction rate. Gluconeogenesis is a process that converts non-sugar substrates like, pyruvate, lactate, glycerol, alanine, and glutamine, into glucose which is the simplest form of sugar that the body can use for energy. This process is usually associated with another process called ketosis. Ketosis is an adaptive metabolic state that occurs when insufficient carbohydrates are present in your diet. What actually happens is that fat is broken down to fatty acids so it can be used as energy. Once the fatty acid is used as energy, it leaves a by-product called ketones. Anyhow, going back to eggs, as you can see biotin is important. Unfortunately, the avidin has a very strong affinity to biotin. It is the strongest amongst all the know protein and its ligand. So, it binds with biotin preventing the biotin from being absorbed by your gastrointestinal tract. Each large, roughly 50g egg yolk contains aroung 25 micrograms of biotin. It will take about 5.7g of biotin to neutralize the avidin found in the egg white. It is also true that bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract also produce biotin, but how much? I don't really know. I don't believe it to be anywhere near 5.7grams. I was also curious about denaturing of the proteins in egg whites. What actually happens once a protein has been synthesized? It will begin to fold into a complex shape. The sequence of the amino acids determine how it folds. There are many types of bonds that hold the protein to help keep it in that particular shape. Once you heat the proteins, the weak bond that holds the protein in that shape breaks and the strong covalent bonds remain. In addition, when more heat is added there will be enough energy to cause the proteins to bond covalently to it's neighboring protein strands. The effect is the egg white turning from clear to white. Although cooking the egg white alters the state of the protein, the protein strands are still there. It can still be absorbed by the body and broken down into basic amino acids. In conclusion, I would like to say that you should eat your egg whites cooked, denature the avidin, and eat your egg yolks raw. Don't destroy the biotin by cooking it. Studies show that cooked egg whites are much easier to absorb by the body. About 95% of the protein is absorbed when cooked where as only about 65% is absorbed when eaten raw. The rest escapes absorption and digestion via bowl and urine. All in all, I'm not saying that eating egg whites raw is bad for you. There may be benefits that are unknown, and maybe uncooked protein is better for you. I like to find the facts. I found none to support this theory.

Years ago, I had a sick cat with enteritis, and I cured it with raw eggs. Raw eggs has a good effect on inflammation of the stomach or mouth. I now have been diagnosed with Squamous Cell in my tonsils and am waiting for treatment. I was getting sores in my mouth , but the raw eggs made them vanish.

I've been drinking around 25 raw eggs a week now for 4 months. I'm fine, more than fine even. Raw eggs are very good, and they are packed with what your body needs. Not only does it help me with getting all the protein I need in a day, because of bodybuilding, but has it also helped with my awful allergy problems. The most annoying thing is the risk of salmonella poisoning. It's a tiny risk, especially if you buy good eggs. One out of 30,000 eggs is contaminated.

As a bodybuilder, I advise everyone who uses raw eggs as a protein source not to separate the whites and the yolks. Yolks have half of the protein in the egg and have cholesterol which is the raw building material of testosterone and other hormones. Dietary cholesterol doesn't increase LDL cholesterol. The LDL ratio increases due to saturated fats, also one medium sized egg has around 6 grams of protein. Four eggs would be enough. The body can only take in about 30 grams of protein in each meal. If you are eating 30 egg whites that is 60 grams more than your body can actually take in.

About a year ago I had a weight problem. I basically kept losing and losing weight even though I would eat a substantial amount of food. I would eat a whole pie in one sitting, and I wouldn't gain a pound. I also ate as much protein as I could, but still no weight gain. Now, I would walk about a mile from and to school, and also regularly do some cardio and some abdominal workouts at a gym, but as time passed I kept losing and losing more weight. I went from about 145 to 90 lbs. in about 4.5 months, and I was about 5'10", age 16. I originally wanted to lose weight to feel better and overall get a better body, so before the drastic weight loss I started eating healthier and going to the gym. So I did lose weight, I felt great, I could run a 6 minute mile without feeling too tired, and I had a six pack. But, then when I was happy with my weight of 145 pounds, I still kept losing and losing weight. Even though I increased my caloric intake, I would eat as much as I could. I tried eating six meals a day. The weight loss continued, and I kept losing and losing weight. I felt incredibly lethargic, tired, constipated, and I was always cold. Obviously by this time I stopped going to the gym, since I couldn't even walk up stairs without having to catch my breath. I decided to go to the doctor and when my tests got back they said I was perfectly fine. Now I didn't feel fine, and I sure didn't look fine. I had lost most of my muscle mass, I looked like I was on drugs. I also developed insomnia. I could only sleep from one to three hours a night, sometimes more or less. When ever I ate something, I felt bloated and as if the food was just staying in my stomach, as if I couldn't digest it properly. So while all this was happening, I was trying to do some research on the digestive system and the digestibility of foods. Well by stumbling upon things, I learned that foods in their raw state are more easily digestible than cooked foods, with the exception of a few foods including legumes, vegetables, grains, and other foods. Now there are a few reasons why this is true, I rather not get into it, but the reasons include enzymes, lipase, loss of nutrients, and also the fact that cooked fats and proteins cause major problems, such as food allergies, especially to dairy products. So, I started trying more raw food like eggs and some meat. Now it helped, but I still felt terrible. I went to see a raw food specialist and nutritionist. Right after he performed his interesting non invasive examination method, he told me that I wasn't able to digest my food. The nutritionist gave me a diet to follow which was mainly raw organic free range eggs, raw dairy, and a few other things, all meant to improve my digestion. Within three months, I gained about sixty pounds of muscle mass and some fat. Although by the second day on the diet, I already felt like I hadn't felt in months, with energy, tons of it. I've eaten up to 35 raw eggs, egg yolk and all, in a single day and have never experienced a single problem. Eggs are the easiest food to digest on this planet.

Listen you don't have to drink raw eggs out of the shells. I work in a restaurant and I have this food company that delivers my products. I stumbled upon a magazine that they have talking about egg whites only. They come in containers and they are salmonella treated. They are very cheap compared to regular eggs and you can get them in any supermarket. I have been lifting for a while now, but since I started this diet I gained about 20 pounds in eight months, with very good training. But I am curious to know if Avidin and vitamin B6 are still there? If anyone has any information on this please let me know.

Hey Matt, were you allowed to eat meat while on your raw diet program?

I've been eating raw eggs, the white and the yolk. even after eating raw eggs, I exercise and I play basketball. I'm just afraid if the yolk would give me problems on the "cholesterol" thing. Isn't it bad when we eat plenty of yolks too? What I mean is that when you eat raw egg you really eat the whole egg regardless of the number of egg you take. I also saw a news about the study from the students in Harvard that people who eat raw or cooked eggs, more than 7 eggs a week would die at early age? Will it really reach this kind of risk?

I have started eating raw eggs, it's been about a couple of days now when I glanced at this site. I have been thinking that eating raw eggs will boost my muscle mass quickly but after going through other articles on weight lifting, I found out that it's not as easy at it seems. I wanna know more about 'whey protein' I bought this protein shake but I don't really know whats better, eating raw eggs or taking the 'whey protein' or the combination of both. I also want to know the best way to gain muscle fast. It's been quite a long time since I have been lifting but from all that I haven't gained as much as I wanted. Mind you, I never used to have any protein supplements before not even eggs or soy. I don't know if this is true but does protein shakes give problems in the future, someone told me that it could cause liver damage or something like that. Is that really true?

Eat your egg yolks please. Waistline alone accounts for 99% of heart disease. So as long as your body fat is under 15%, don't give it two thoughts. Saturated fats, dietary cholesterol, etc. will not raise your LDL. I was pretty out of shape and fat 2 years ago with unhealthy blood serum cholesterol numbers. I began doing research and changed my diet and lifestyle. I now do power lifting 3x a week and cardiovascular training five times a week. I got my body fat down to 10-12%. Along with that, here's my current diet that got me here. Every day I eat: 12 raw eggs mixed in 3 separate protein shakes, three scoops of whey isolate protein, mixed with the raw eggs, 250g of ground beef, fat eaten, 250g steak, fat eaten, 150g chicken piece, 500g vegetables, 0-120g carbohydrates in the form of fruit, oats, brown rice, or potatoes, depending on whether I train that day or not. My health and HDL/LDL levels have improved dramatically after boosting dietary fats intake to 40-60% of total calories, protein comprising the rest and carbohydrates timed for maximum absorption, around workouts only. The only thing you have to be careful of is to keep carbohydrate intake low, and balance your fats intake between the three types: Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated. Saturated is animal fats, Monounsaturated is vegetable fats and stuff like olive oil. Polyunsaturates like omega 3, and omega 6 come from fatty fish and organic meats and eggs. A high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet promotes a leaner physique through ketosis or fat metabolism, and then subsequent body fat metabolism. If you're still an unbeliever, Google this article, "The Skinny on Fats." Read it top to bottom and change your life.

I was so pleased to read this article on raw eggs. I am currently living in a hostel that does not offer an egg for breakfast, and I was a bit worried since I had earlier found out that an egg has the best protein second only to human breast milk. Thank you, now I will be eating a raw egg, yolk, and the white three times in a week.

A very rigorous study performed in 1998 proved that cooked egg protein is better assimilated (digested and absorbed) than raw egg protein. Furthermore, the undigested protein from the raw egg white undergoes bacterial fermentation in the colon, the metabolites of which are implicated in diseases such as colon cancer. I am referring to information I have gotten at the following web site> Cooked Egg Information. I believe that soft-boiled eggs are ideal, safer and more digestible than either raw eggs or hard-cooked eggs.

I am 22 stones and losing weight. I am bodybuilding twice per week. My friend said if you put on muscle it will burn fat just to keep the muscle alive and eventually keeping at it I will see good results. I am also drinking raw egg with milk and find I'm having lots of energy will this help me lose weight like I require?

Hi Jason, yes having more muscle on your frame will help you to burn more body fat.

Hi, I enjoyed reading these articles. I am a 38 yr old female. I recently started eating raw eggs for breakfast after noticing my husbands skin looks great after only a few short months of him eating the raw eggs to help build muscle. I am mixing my raw eggs with low carbohydrate whey protein shakes. I hope if in moderation I won't be gaining weight? I thought it would be a great way to have breakfast with out having to cook. Yes I am always looking for an the easy way out. I have also been doing basic exercises with hubby, sit ups, leg lifts, that sort of thing. Maybe it too will help me tone faster. I did notice something someone mentioned in a previous post about eggs having testosterone in them. I hope I don't start growing a beard, that could be a serious problem. I'll report to let you know how I do with it as it seems most replying here are male.

It makes sense that food in it's raw form is more active than when cooked. I have recently made this personal discovery with eggs and liver. I have always suffered from low blood iron. No clinics or blood drives would take my blood for nine years because it wasn't considered worthy of transfusing with. Lately, I've been eating raw chicken or beef liver twice per week and raw eggs daily. The result, I now have my period, no more yeast infection, and increased and sustained energy levels. The best part of it was the first day when I ate the raw liver, I experienced a total detox. It was violent and life-changing. The iron from the raw liver gave me back my period on the same day. For 36 hours I was in extreme pain, but came out a better person. Now I have a regulated cycle, no desire for smoking or eating cooked food. I tried and it doesn't give me that high like it used to when I was addicted, no more body aches and a greater appreciation for food in it's natural state.

Breanne, gosh, Raw liver and chicken. Gee no, that's a whole different topic you're on with raw meats at least with eggs a person swallows quickly. Seems like you could take a walk on the very dark side. Anyway, glad it's been working for you.