Looking to Build Muscle? Eat the Whole Egg, Not Just the White
There are an increasing number of people who have jumped on one of the latest food trends: eating only the egg white and tossing the yolk. Many people choose to forgo eating the yolk because it is high in dietary cholesterol, leading many to believe it will cause unhealthy cholesterol levels. However, new research has shown that eating the whole egg is more beneficial than eating the egg white alone due to the whole egg’s positive effect on muscle building and repair.
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ten healthy young men engaged in resistance training and, afterwards, were fed either whole eggs or egg whites, both of which contained 18 grams of protein. In addition, the volunteers received injections of leucine and phenylalanine, which are two amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, making them a key component in a human’s muscles as proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Injecting these two amino acids into the participants allowed the scientists conducting the study to measure the level of the amino acids from the eggs in each participant’s blood and muscle.
In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ten healthy young men engaged in resistance training and, afterwards, were fed either whole eggs or egg whites, both of which contained 18 grams of protein. In addition, the volunteers received injections of leucine and phenylalanine, which are two amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, making them a key component in a human’s muscles as proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Injecting these two amino acids into the participants allowed the scientists conducting the study to measure the level of the amino acids from the eggs in each participant’s blood and muscle.
Above is the structure of a protein, which is made up of amino acid building blocks such as leucine.
Image Source: "Argonne's Midwest Center for Structural Genomics deposits 1,000th protein structure" by Argonne National Library is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In addition to injecting leucine directly into the participants, the eggs the participants ate were artificially manufactured with leucine. Because the eggs had leucine, the scientists could track the amino acid from the eggs, allowing scientists to see where this leucine would end up in the human body. The study found that in both groups, around 65% of the amino acids were available in the blood to build new muscle protein. This suggested that protein from egg whites and whole eggs produce the same level of available amino acids.
However, there was a difference in the amount of protein that was actually made from the amino acids in the muscles of the participants. Data showed that there was a 40% greater muscle protein synthesis in the participants who were fed the whole egg after resistance training compared to those who just ate the egg whites.
The implications of this study are important, as they bust the myth that the egg yolks are harmful and should not be consumed. By aiding in protein synthesis, the whole egg should be preferred over just the egg whites in anyone looking to build muscle post-exercise.
However, there was a difference in the amount of protein that was actually made from the amino acids in the muscles of the participants. Data showed that there was a 40% greater muscle protein synthesis in the participants who were fed the whole egg after resistance training compared to those who just ate the egg whites.
The implications of this study are important, as they bust the myth that the egg yolks are harmful and should not be consumed. By aiding in protein synthesis, the whole egg should be preferred over just the egg whites in anyone looking to build muscle post-exercise.
Featured Image Source: "Chicken raw egg with broken shell" by Ètat sauvage is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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