Egg whites or whole eggs: what the yolk adds to your plate and your LDL

In a meta-analysis of 8 RCTs in middle-aged and older adults, eating more than 4 whole eggs a week raised LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (95% CI 1.1 to 12; metric: 0.171 mmol/L, 0.028 to 0.315) compared with the same amount of egg substitutes, mostly egg white products, and the estimate rests on few trials. That is the measured cost of the yolk in these trials. What the yolk brings is most of the micronutrients. Per 100 g raw, UK tables give egg white 43 calories, 10.8 g protein, no cholesterol and no vitamin D. Whole egg gives 131 calories, 12.6 g protein, 350 mg cholesterol, 3.2 micrograms of vitamin D and 2.7 of B12. For muscle the two come out close. In a 12-week randomized trial in 30 trained young men, 3 whole eggs or 6 whites after each session added 6.4 and 6 lb (2.9 and 2.7 kg) of skeletal muscle.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g raw, egg white gives 43 calories, 10.8 g protein and no cholesterol, while whole egg gives 131 calories, 12.6 g protein and 350 mg cholesterol. — CoFID 2021 records 12-938 Eggs, chicken, white, raw and 12-937 Eggs, chicken, whole, raw (n = 2 CoFID records) Evidence E source
  White: 43 calories, protein 10.8 g, fat trace, cholesterol 0, selenium 8 ug, riboflavin 0.42 mg, B12 0.3 ug, vitamin D 0. Whole: 131 calories, protein 12.6 g, fat 9.0 g, cholesterol 350 mg, selenium 23 ug, retinol 126 ug, B12 2.7 ug, vitamin D 3.2 ug, iron 1.72 mg
• In US Grade A large eggs, egg white protein averaged 10.7 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) but ranged from 9.5 to 12.3 g, and its selenium ranged from 7.0 to 48.8 ug. — USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg white, 24 samples for minerals (n = 24 samples (selenium, riboflavin); protein sample count not reported) Evidence E source
  Protein 10.7 g (9.5-12.3); selenium 17.9 ug (7.0-48.8); riboflavin 0.391 mg (0.302-0.504); fat 0.0 g in all 24 samples
• US Grade A large whole eggs averaged 411 mg cholesterol and 335 mg choline per 3.5 oz (100 g), both of which the white alone lacks. — USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole, 24 samples (n = 24 samples) Evidence E source
  Cholesterol 411 mg (371-451); total choline 335 mg (287-404); protein 12.4 g (11.6-13.2); iron 1.67 mg (1.42-2.09); lutein 230 ug (158-317, 3 samples)

What a real portion looks like

• The US food survey counts one egg white as 33 g and one whole egg as 50 g, so two whites roughly match one egg by weight. — USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Egg, white only, raw (31108010) and Egg, whole, raw (31101010) (n = 2 FNDDS records) Evidence E source
  1 egg white 33 g; 1 egg 50 g; 1 cup 245 g for both

What your body absorbs

• In healthy Indian adults, true ileal indispensable amino acid digestibility was 86.3% for boiled egg white protein and 89.4% for whole boiled egg. — Healthy Indian subjects, dual stable isotope tracer method (n = not stated in abstract) Evidence C source
  86.3% +/- 4.6% egg white, 89.4% +/- 4.5% whole boiled egg, 92.0% +/- 2.8% cooked meat
• A case report describes biotin deficiency with hair loss and dermatitis in an 11-year-old boy on a diet with raw eggs, reversed after raw eggs were removed. — One 11-year-old boy on a prescribed diet containing raw eggs (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Alopecia and exfoliative dermatosis; reversal with biotin and removal of raw eggs

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for hard-cooked eggs, 75% of folate, 80% of choline and 85% of vitamin B12 remain after cooking, while minerals stay at 100%. — USDA Retention Factors Release 6, Dairy and Egg Products, EGGS, HARD COOKED (Retn_Code 105) (n = 1 method row) Evidence E source
  Folate 75%, vitamin C 80%, choline 80%, thiamin 85%, B12 85%, riboflavin 95%, iron, zinc, potassium 100%
• In 10 healthy volunteers given 25 g labeled egg protein, 35.10% of the raw meal escaped small intestine digestion versus 5.73% of the cooked meal. — Ten healthy volunteers, each tested once with cooked and once with raw egg protein meal (n = 10) Evidence C source
  35.10% raw vs 5.73% cooked escaped assimilation, P < 0.005

What it does to your health

• In a crossover RCT in 10 trained young men, whole eggs with 18 g protein raised post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis more than protein-matched egg whites (P = 0.04). — 10 resistance-trained men aged 21 +/- 1 y, single post-exercise meal (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Greater myofibrillar protein synthesis with whole eggs, P = 0.04; plasma leucine availability similar 68% vs 66%
• In an RCT of 30 trained young men over 12 weeks, 3 whole eggs and 6 egg whites after training gave similar gains in skeletal muscle mass, 6.4 and 6 lb (2.9 and 2.7 kg). — Thirty resistance-trained men, mean age 24.6 y, 12 weeks of resistance training (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Skeletal muscle mass +6.4 lb (2.9 kg) whole egg vs +6 lb (2.7 kg) egg white; fat mass -4.2 vs -2.4 lb (-1.9 vs -1.1 kg)
• In an RCT of 30 trained young men over 12 weeks, 3 whole eggs after training improved knee extension and handgrip strength and body fat more than 6 egg whites, without a difference in muscle mass. — Thirty resistance-trained young males, 12 weeks of resistance training (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Significant group x time interaction for body fat percentage, knee extension, handgrip strength favoring whole eggs; lean mass trend p = 0.06
• In a meta-analysis of 17 RCTs in healthy people, eating more eggs raised LDL cholesterol by a mean difference of 8.14, with the unit not given in the abstract. — Healthy populations, 17 RCTs (n = 17 RCTs) Evidence A source
  LDL MD 8.14, p < 0.0001, I2 18%; LDL/HDL ratio MD 0.14

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis found Salmonella in 7.20% of eggs in China, 8.30% on shells and 4.50% in egg contents. — Egg samples from farms and retail markets in China (n = not stated in abstract) Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence 7.20%; shell 8.30%, contents 4.50%; farm 9.60%, retail 5.80%
• Of 123 egg-allergic children given boiled egg yolk in an oral challenge, 115 (93.4%) tolerated it and ate egg yolk at home. — 123 children with egg allergy, median age 12 months, 2019-2022 (n = 123) Evidence C source
  115 of 123 (93.4%) tolerated boiled yolk at a supervised challenge

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a meta-analysis of 8 RCTs in middle-aged and older adults, more than 4 whole eggs per week raised LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.171 mmol/L) versus egg substitutes. — Middle-aged and older adults, 8 RCTs (n = 8 RCTs) Evidence A source
  LDL +6.6 mg/dL (95% CI 1.1 to 12; metric: 0.171 mmol/L, 0.028 to 0.315); total cholesterol +7.7 mg/dL (0.198 mmol/L); HDL +2.6 mg/dL (0.068 mmol/L); triglycerides no difference

Who this works differently for

• In a meta-analysis of RCTs in dialysis patients, egg white supplementation raised serum albumin by 0.42 g/dL and lowered serum phosphorus by 2.04 mg/dL. — Adults on dialysis, 4 RCTs for albumin, 2 RCTs for phosphorus (n = 4 RCTs (albumin); 2 RCTs (phosphorus)) Evidence A source
  Albumin MD +0.42 g/dL (0.12 to 0.72), GRADE very low; phosphorus MD -2.04 mg/dL (-2.50 to -1.58), GRADE low
• In a meta-analysis of 7 RCTs with 3673 children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, egg interventions raised weight-for-age z-score by 0.33 but not height-for-age. — 3673 children aged 6-59 months, sub-Saharan Africa, 7 RCTs (n = 3673) Evidence A source
  WAZ MD 0.33 (0.11 to 0.55); WHZ MD 0.30 (0.12 to 0.48); HAZ MD 0.05 (-0.05 to 0.14)

What is still unknown

• An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses rated all significant egg and health associations as very weak evidence and found no link with cardiovascular outcomes. — 14 meta-analyses published since 2020 (10 observational, 4 interventional) (n = 14 meta-analyses) Evidence C source
  LDL WMD 7.39 (5.82 to 8.95); heart failure RR 1.15 (1.02 to 1.30); no association with cardiovascular outcomes or all-cause mortality

The bottom line

The same 30 men, in a companion report, gained more knee extension and handgrip strength and lost more body fat on whole eggs, with no difference in muscle mass and no effect sizes in the abstract. In 10 trained men given a single meal, whole eggs with 18 g protein raised muscle protein synthesis after exercise more than whites with the same protein (P = 0.04). That was one meal, and it did not measure growth. By weight, one white is 33 g and one whole egg 50 g in the US survey. US Grade A whole eggs averaged 335 mg choline and 411 mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 24 samples, higher than the UK figure because sampling and method differ. Across 17 RCTs in healthy people, higher egg intake raised LDL by a mean difference of 8.14, a number whose unit the abstract does not give, with larger effects in trials longer than two months. The wider picture is shakier. An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses rated every significant egg and health association, heart failure at RR 1.15 among them, as very weak evidence, and the reviews it pooled were of critically low quality. Cook the white. In 10 volunteers given 25 g of labeled egg protein, 35.10 percent of the raw meal escaped digestion in the small intestine against 5.73 percent of the cooked one, in a small study that did not say the order was randomized. In healthy Indian adults, boiled egg white protein was 86.3 percent digestible and whole boiled egg 89.4 percent, with no formal test between them. Hard boiling keeps about 80 percent of choline and 85 percent of B12 by the USDA group factor from a 1975 table. Some groups respond differently. In dialysis patients, a meta-analysis of RCTs found egg white supplements raised serum albumin by 0.42 g/dL at very low certainty and lowered phosphorus by 2.04 mg/dL at low certainty. Across 7 RCTs with 3673 children aged 6 to 59 months in sub-Saharan Africa, eggs raised weight-for-age z-score by 0.33 and did not change height-for-age. Who should be careful. Of 123 egg-allergic children with a median age of 12 months, 115 (93.4 percent) tolerated boiled yolk at a supervised challenge, in one retrospective center, so the yolk step belongs to an allergist. One case report describes an 11-year-old boy on a prescribed diet with raw eggs who developed biotin deficiency with hair loss, reversed once the raw eggs went. A meta-analysis found Salmonella in 7.20 percent of eggs in China, 8.30 percent on shells and 4.50 percent inside, a figure from China only. We have no card on pregnancy or medicines.

Sources

1. ewe8-daily-r8-01 · reference dataset
   CoFID 12-938 Eggs, chicken, white, raw: Energy 43 kcal, Protein 10.8 g, Fat Tr, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Selenium 8 ug, Riboflavin 0.42 mg, Vitamin B12 0.3 ug, Vitamin D 0.0 ug per 100 g. CoFID 12-937 Eggs, chicken, whole, raw: Energy 131 kcal, Protein 12.6 g, Fat 9.0 g, Cholesterol 350.0 mg, Selenium 23 ug, Retinol 126 ug, Vitamin B12 2.7 ug, Vitamin D 3.2 ug, Iron 1.72 mg per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-29
2. ewe8-daily-r8-02 · reference dataset
   Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg white: Protein 10.7 G range 9.5-12.3; Selenium, Se 17.9 UG range 7.0-48.8, 24 samples; Riboflavin 0.391 MG range 0.302-0.504, 24 samples; Total lipid (fat) 0.0 G, 24 samples
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-29
3. ewe8-daily-r8-03 · reference dataset
   Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole: Cholesterol 411.0 MG range 371.0-451.0, 24 samples; Choline, total 335.0 MG range 287.0-404.0, 24 samples; Protein 12.4 G range 11.6-13.2; Iron, Fe 1.67 MG range 1.42-2.09, 22 samples
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-29
4. ewe8-daily-r8-04 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2707168 Egg, white only, raw, code 31108010 - 1 egg white 33 g, 1 cup 245 g. FNDDS 2707152 Egg, whole, raw, code 31101010 - 1 egg 50 g, 1 cup 245 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
5. ewe8-daily-r8-07 · dual isotope digestibility study
   The mean ± SD true ileal IAA digestibility of 2H-labeled egg white protein, whole boiled egg, and cooked meat was 86.3% ± 4.6%, 89.4% ± 4.5%, and 92.0% ± 2.8%, respectively.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
6. ewe8-daily-r8-15 · case report
   Treatment with biotin and the removal of raw eggs, which contain the biotin-binding protein, avidin, from the diet led to the reversal of all of the clinical and metabolic manifestations observed.
   Pediatrics, 1981 · checked 2026-09-29
7. ewe8-daily-r8-05 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:105 EGGS,HARD COOKED: folate_total_ug 75%, vitamin_c_mg 80%, choline_mg 80%, thiamin_mg 85%, vitamin_b12_ug 85%, riboflavin_mg 95%, iron_mg 100%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007 · checked 2026-09-29
8. ewe8-daily-r8-06 · stable isotope tracer study
   Ten healthy volunteers were studied once after ingestion of a cooked test meal, consisting of 25 g of (13)C-, (15)N-, and (2)H-labeled egg protein, and once after ingestion of the same but raw meal. Amounts of 5.73% and 35.10% (P < 0.005) of cooked and raw test meal, respectively, escaped digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
   Am J Physiol, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29
9. ewe8-daily-r8-08 · randomized crossover trial
   After exercise, participants consumed intrinsically l-[5,5,5-2H3]leucine-labeled whole eggs (18 g protein, 17 g fat) or egg whites (18 g protein, 0 g fat). ... However, whole-egg ingestion increased the postexercise myofibrillar protein synthetic response to a greater extent than did the ingestion of egg whites (P= 0.04).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
10. ewe8-daily-r8-09 · randomized controlled trial
    Significant main effects of time were observed for body weight (WER 1·7, EWR 1·8 kg), skeletal muscle mass (WER 2·9, EWR 2·7 kg),
    Br J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
11. ewe8-daily-r8-10 · randomized controlled trial
    Postexercise whole egg ingestion increases knee extension and handgrip strength, testosterone, and reduces body fat percentage compared with postexercise egg white ingestion, despite no group differences in muscle mass, in resistance-trained young males.
    J Strength Cond Res, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
12. ewe8-daily-r8-12 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Overall, 17 RCTs met the eligibility criteria and pooled results showed MEC group had a higher LDL-c/HDL-c ratio than the control group (MD = 0.14, p = 0.001, I2 = 25%). The MEC group also had higher LDL-c than the control group (MD = 8.14, p < 0.0001, I2 = 18%).
    Nutrients, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
13. ewe8-daily-r8-16 · meta-analysis of prevalence studies
    The overall pooled prevalence of Salmonella in Chinese eggs was 7.20%, which is higher than the levels reported in the United States and Europe. Contamination rates were higher on eggshells (8.30%) was than those in egg contents (4.50%),
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. ewe8-daily-r8-17 · retrospective cohort
    Of the 123 egg yolk OFCs, 115 (93.4%) patients were tolerant and consumed egg yolk at home.
    Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
15. ewe8-daily-r8-11 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Intake of >4 whole eggs/week compared to equivalent amounts of egg substitutes caused greater elevations in blood total cholesterol (WMD: 0.198 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.056, 0.339), HDL cholesterol (WMD: 0.068 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.006, 0.130) and LDL cholesterol (WMD: 0.171 mmol/L; 95% CIs: 0.028, 0.315) but did not differentially affect triglycerides concentration.
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
16. ewe8-daily-r8-13 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    In dialysis patients, egg white supplementation significantly increased serum albumin (MD: +0.42 g/dL [95% CI: 0.12-0.72]; I2 = 82.4%; four RCTs; GRADE: very low) and decreased serum phosphorus (MD: -2.04 mg/dL [-2.50, -1.58]; I2 = 22%; two RCTs; GRADE: low).
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
17. ewe8-daily-r8-14 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Seven studies involving 3673 children met the inclusion criteria. Egg-based intervention significantly improved WAZ (MD: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11-0.55) and WHZ (MD: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.12-0.48). However, no significant effect was observed on HAZ (MD: 0.05; 95% CI: -0.05-0.14).
    J Nutr Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
18. ewe8-daily-r8-18 · umbrella review
    The level of evidence was very weak for all the significant associations: risk of heart failure (RR 1.15; 95%CI: 1.02-1.30), cancer mortality (RR 1.13; 95%CI 1.06-1.20), higher levels of LDL cholesterol (WMD 7.39; 95%CI 5.82-8.95),
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29