The egg has something of a chequered past. In the 1950s and 1960s they were heralded as the best way to start your day. But by the 70s, received wisdom had almost flipped on its head: eggs were the bad boys of nutrition, carrying a dangerously high level of cholesterol, which had been linked to an increase risk of heart disease. Limit your intake to three a week, was the thinking — and never have two at once.
So you'd be forgiven for thinking twice before cracking open your egg in the morning. However, despite those decades of negative PR, the macro-history of eggs is very positive. They've long been seen as a reliable, nutritious, cheap and tasty form of nourishment. In many cultures and religions, eggs are a symbol of life and rebirth — and who can deny their replenishing properties on a particularly heavy hangover?
This century, as our understanding of nutrition improves, eggs are firmly back on the menu. No longer a culinary outcast, eggs, particularly poached, scrambled or baked, are a brunch staple, and have become one of the most instagrammed foods around.
Researchers from Peking University Health Science Centre in China observed the egg-eating habits of 416,213 participants. Those who reported daily consumption of eggs at the beginning of the nine-year study were found to be at lower risk of diseases than those who never or rarely ate eggs.
The recent findings are the latest in a line of research suggesting the health risks of eggs have been overplayed in the past. In 2013, an investigation published in the British Medical Journal claimed that an egg a day, if not keeping the doctor away, would not negatively impact heart health.
