Eggs and yogurt: a protein gap that closes at the portion

Across 17 randomized trials in healthy people, eating more eggs raised LDL cholesterol by a mean of 8.14 units over control diets, though the abstract names neither the unit nor an interval. An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses, rated critically low in quality, found no link between high egg intake and heart disease or death from any cause. So eggs nudge a blood marker in trials, and the outcome studies have not shown that it matters. We found no trial comparing eggs with yogurt head to head. Per 100 g, whole egg carries 12.4 g protein against about 4.2 g in plain nonfat yogurt. Per portion the gap closes. One 50 g egg gives about 6.2 g, and a 170 g pot of nonfat yogurt about 7 g. Egg is the choline food, at 335 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 24 samples, and yogurt is the calcium food, at 127 to 167 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) on average for plain kinds.

How much is actually in it

• A large egg in USDA Foundation Foods held 335 mg total choline per 3.5 oz (100 g) of whole egg, ranging 287 to 404 mg across 24 samples. — Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole (24 samples) (n = 24) Evidence E source
  Choline total 335 mg (287-404, median 338) per 3.5 oz (100 g), spread 35%, mostly from phosphatidylcholine (309 mg)
• Plain yogurt in USDA Foundation Foods carried 127 to 167 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g) on average, and single samples of whole milk yogurt ranged from 101 to 163 mg. — Yogurt, plain, nonfat (8 samples); Yogurt, plain, whole milk (8 samples); Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat (18 samples) (n = 34) Evidence E source
  Calcium nonfat 167.4 mg (121-205), whole milk 126.8 mg (101-163), Greek nonfat 111.0 mg (108-115) per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Whole egg in USDA Foundation Foods averaged 12.4 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g) against about 4.2 g in plain nonfat yogurt. — Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole; Yogurt, plain, nonfat (n = -) Evidence E source
  Protein egg whole 12.4 g (11.6-13.2), yogurt plain nonfat 4.23 g (3.57-5.30) per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey database one egg counts as 50 g and one yogurt container as 170 g, with a cup of yogurt at 245 g. — FNDDS 31101010 Egg, whole, raw (fdc_id 2707152); FNDDS 11400000 Yogurt, NFS (fdc_id 2705414) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Egg: 1 egg 50 g, 1 cup 245 g; yogurt: 4 oz container 113 g, 6 oz container 170 g, 1 cup 245 g

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized comparison, lactase-deficient adults absorbed calcium from 147 g yogurt as well as from 250 g milk with the same 270 mg calcium, and no better. — Lactase-deficient subjects and controls given 270 mg Ca with 45Ca in 250 g milk or 147 g unflavored yogurt (n = -) Evidence B source
  Equal calcium absorption from yogurt and milk by 24 h blood radioactivity, lactase-deficient at least as well as controls

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for Dairy and Egg Products, hard cooking eggs keeps 80 percent of choline and 75 percent of folate while minerals stay at 100 percent. — USDA R6 group factor, Dairy and Egg Products, EGGS,HARD COOKED (code 105) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Folate 75%, vitamin C 80%, choline 80%, thiamin 85%, B12 85%, riboflavin/niacin/B6 95%, calcium/iron/zinc 100% retained
• In a crossover trial of 24 men eating 18 oz (500 g) yogurt a day for 15 days, those with lactose malabsorption exhaled less hydrogen on fresh yogurt with live cultures than on heat-treated yogurt. — Two groups of 12 healthy men with or without lactose malabsorption, 500 g/d fresh or heated yogurt, two 15-day periods (n = 24) Evidence B source
  Breath hydrogen lower after fresh vs heated yogurt in malabsorbers (P < 0.01), no change in fasting glucose, insulin or cholesterol

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 33 trials found probiotic yogurt raised fecal acetate (SMD 0.29) and interleukin-10 (SMD 0.48) over conventional yogurt, with very low certainty and no CRP difference. — Randomized parallel and crossover trials comparing probiotic yogurt with conventional yogurt (n = 33 trials) Evidence A source
  Fecal acetate SMD 0.29 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.57), IL-10 SMD 0.48 (0.15 to 0.80), CRP MD -0.61 mg/L (-2.25 to 1.03)
• In a meta-analysis of 30 egg protein trials, egg white raised serum albumin by 0.42 g/dL in dialysis patients over four trials, at very low certainty. — Adults in RCTs of egg-derived protein or peptides; albumin outcome in dialysis patients (n = 1938) Evidence A source
  Serum albumin MD +0.42 g/dL (0.12 to 0.72), serum phosphorus MD -2.04 mg/dL (-2.50 to -1.58)
• Across 17 randomized trials in healthy people, eating more eggs raised LDL cholesterol by a mean 8.14 units over control diets. — Healthy populations in 17 RCTs of egg consumption without combination therapy (n = 17 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-c MD 8.14 (p < 0.0001, I2 18%), LDL-c/HDL-c ratio MD 0.14 (p = 0.001), larger with intervention over two months
• An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses found no link between high egg intake and cardiovascular outcomes or all-cause mortality, with very weak evidence overall. — 14 meta-analyses (10 observational, 4 interventional) published since 2020 (n = 14) 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 CVD outcomes or all-cause mortality
• Observational data link higher yogurt intake with 21 percent lower odds of abdominal obesity in adults, pooled from 9 studies with 47,778 people. — Adults in 9 observational studies with 47 778 participants (n = 47778) Evidence C source
  OR 0.79 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.89) highest vs lowest yogurt intake
• Observational data link eating close to 1.8 oz (50 g) of egg a day, about one egg, with a 9 percent lower risk of cognitive decline in longitudinal studies. — 13 longitudinal and 8 cross-sectional studies, 99,453 individuals, mainly Asia and the United States (n = 99453) Evidence C source
  Pooled RR 0.91 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.99), U-shaped dose response with lowest risk at 50-60 g/day

Safety, limits and interactions

• Pooled surveys found Salmonella in 7.2 percent of eggs sampled in China, more often on shells (8.3 percent) than in egg contents (4.5 percent). — Egg samples from farms and retail markets in China (n = -) Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence 7.20%, eggshells 8.30%, contents 4.50%, farm 9.60% vs retail 5.80%
• A case report linked a Lactobacillus bloodstream infection in a toddler with intestinal failure and a central line to the Greek yogurt he ate daily, with about 99 percent genetic similarity. — One toddler with intestinal failure and a central venous catheter (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Lactobacillus central line bloodstream infection, isolate ~99% similar to yogurt isolate
• In 123 children with egg allergy, 93.4 percent tolerated boiled egg yolk at an oral food challenge, at a median age of 12 months. — 123 pediatric patients with egg allergy challenged with boiled egg yolk, 2019-2022 (n = 123) Evidence C source
  115 of 123 (93.4%) tolerant to boiled egg yolk

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU register authorizes one claim for this pair: live cultures in yogurt improve lactose digestion of the product in people who digest lactose poorly. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6400 (n = -) Evidence E source
  Authorized
• The EU did not authorize the claim that fat-free yogurts with live cultures and vitamin D help reduce body and visceral fat on an energy-restricted diet. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8475 (n = -) Evidence E source
  Non-authorized

What is still unknown

• A scoping review of 77 studies found no clear evidence that eggs or dairy carry the meat factor that raises iron and zinc absorption from plant meals. — 77 human and animal studies adding animal-source foods to plant-based meals (n = 77) Evidence C source
  Muscle tissue raised iron and zinc absorption, milk and egg products showed no clear meat-factor effect

The bottom line

Greek nonfat yogurt had less calcium than ordinary plain, 111 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). Lactase-deficient adults absorbed calcium from 5.2 oz (147 g) of yogurt as well as from 8.8 oz (250 g) of milk carrying the same 270 mg, and no better. Live cultures matter for lactose. In 12 men who malabsorb lactose, eating 18 oz (500 g) a day of fresh yogurt produced less breath hydrogen than heat-treated yogurt, and the EU authorizes the claim that live yogurt cultures improve lactose digestion. A scoping review found no clear evidence that eggs or dairy raise iron and zinc absorption from plant meals the way meat does, which is a gap in the research and not proof of absence. Hard-cooking eggs keeps about 80 percent of choline and 75 percent of folate by the USDA group factor for eggs, from a 1975 table. Most health links here are weak. In 9 studies of 47,778 adults, mostly cross-sectional, so they cannot show cause, higher yogurt intake went with 21 percent lower odds of abdominal obesity (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.89). Eating close to 1.8 oz (50 g) of egg a day went with a 9 percent lower risk of cognitive decline in longitudinal studies (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99), also observational. By a meta-analysis of 33 trials, probiotic yogurt raised fecal acetate and interleukin-10 more than ordinary yogurt, at very low certainty, with no difference in C-reactive protein. In dialysis patients, egg white raised serum albumin by 0.42 g/dL over four trials, also at very low certainty. The EU refused a claim that fat-free yogurt with vitamin D helps cut body fat. Who should be careful. Pooled surveys found Salmonella in 7.2 percent of eggs sampled in China, 8.3 percent on shells and 4.5 percent inside. That shows the germ can sit both on and inside eggs, and the survey does not tell how often eggs bought elsewhere carry it. In 123 children with egg allergy, 115 tolerated boiled egg yolk at a challenge supervised by doctors, which is a test to do in a clinic and not at home. One toddler with intestinal failure and a central line developed a Lactobacillus bloodstream infection about 99 percent genetically similar to the Greek yogurt he ate daily. We found no card on pregnancy or medicines for either food.

Sources

1. eyg-daily-r1-01 · composition dataset
   Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole (USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30): Choline, total 335.0 MG, range 287.0-404.0 (median 338.0), samples 24, spread 35%; Choline, from phosphocholine 309.0 MG, range 261.0-376.0, samples 24
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 (Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole) · checked 2026-09-29
2. eyg-daily-r1-02 · composition dataset
   Yogurt, plain, nonfat (USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30): Calcium, Ca 167.4 MG, range 121.0-205.0 (median 159.0), samples 8; Yogurt, plain, whole milk: Calcium, Ca 126.8 MG, range 101.0-163.0 (median 120.8), samples 8; Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat: Calcium, Ca 111.0 MG, range 108.0-115.0 (median 110.0), samples 18
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 (plain yogurts) · checked 2026-09-29
3. eyg-daily-r1-03 · composition dataset
   Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole (USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30): Protein 12.4 G, range 11.6-13.2 (median 12.4); Yogurt, plain, nonfat: Protein 4.22675 G, range 3.5728-5.2954 (median 3.9875)
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 (egg whole; yogurt plain nonfat) · checked 2026-09-29
4. eyg-daily-r1-04 · portion dataset
   FNDDS 31101010 Egg, whole, raw (fdc_id 2707152): 1 egg 50 g, 1 cup 245 g, Quantity not specified 50 g; FNDDS 11400000 Yogurt, NFS (fdc_id 2705414): 1 4 oz container 113 g, 1 6 oz container 170 g, 1 container, NFS 170 g, 1 cup 245 g, Quantity not specified 170 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food codes 31101010 and 11400000 · checked 2026-09-29
5. eyg-daily-r1-07 · randomized controlled trial in humans
   Subjects ingested 270 mg of Ca plus 45Ca in 250 g of milk or 147 g of commercial, unflavored yogurt, and blood radioactivity was assessed at intervals over 24 h. Based on the areas under the blood radioactivity curves, lactase-deficient subjects and controls absorbed calcium equally well from yogurt and milk.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 1985 · checked 2026-09-29
6. eyg-daily-r1-05 · retention dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:105 EGGS,HARD COOKED, group Dairy and Egg Products: folate_total_ug 75% retained, vitamin_c_mg 80%, choline_mg 80%, thiamin_mg 85%, vitamin_b12_ug 85%, riboflavin_mg 95%, niacin_mg 95%, vitamin_b6_mg 95%, calcium_mg 100%, iron_mg 100%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), code 105 · checked 2026-09-29
7. eyg-daily-r1-06 · randomized controlled trial in humans
   Two groups of 12 healthy men with or without lactose malabsorption were selected with use of a breath-hydrogen test after a 30-g lactose load. Subjects were randomly assigned in a crossover design to 500 g/d of either fresh or heated yogurt for 2 periods of 15 d each, separated by a 15-d washout interval. ... In the same group, the production of breath hydrogen was lower after fresh yogurt consumption than after heated yogurt consumption (P: < 0.01).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2000 · checked 2026-09-29
8. eyg-daily-r1-09 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Pooled analysis showed a statistically significant increase in fecal acetate levels (SMD 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02; 0.57). ... No significant differences were found for C-reactive protein (MD -0.61 mg/L; 95% CI: -2.25; 1.03) and oxidative stress biomarkers. In contrast, interleukin-10 showed a significant increase (SMD 0.48; 95% CI: 0.15; 0.80).
   J Nutr Biochem, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
9. eyg-daily-r1-10 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Thirty RCTs (n = 1938) were included. 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
10. eyg-daily-r1-11 · 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
11. eyg-daily-r1-12 · umbrella review
    No evidence of association was found among all cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality risk between high vs. low egg consumption.
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
12. eyg-daily-r1-13 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Pooling effect sizes from 9 eligible studies with 47 778 participants showed that higher amounts of yogurt consumption was related to a 21% reduction in abdominal obesity (OR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.89).
    Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
13. eyg-daily-r1-14 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Egg consumption closest to 50 g/day was longitudinally linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline (pooled RR = 0.91; 95%CI = 0.83-0.99), and a 'U-shaped' dose-response relationship was also observed at the lowest risks occurring at 50-60 g/day of egg.
    J Hum Nutr Diet, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. eyg-daily-r1-15 · meta-analysis of contamination surveys
    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%), and prevalence was greater in farm samples (9.60%) than that in retail market samples (5.80%), highlighting the importance of hygiene management during production.
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
15. eyg-daily-r1-16 · case report
    Comparative genetic analysis predicted ~99% similarity between the CLABSI isolate and Lactobacillus isolates from the Greek yogurt the patient regularly consumed.
    Nutr Clin Pract, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
16. eyg-daily-r1-17 · 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
17. eyg-daily-r1-18 · EU health claim decision
    POL-HC-6400 Live yoghurt cultures Live cultures in yoghurt or fermented milk improve lactose digestion of the product in individuals who have difficulty digesting lactose Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6400, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
18. eyg-daily-r1-19 · EU health claim decision
    POL-HC-8475 Fat-free yogurts and fermented milks with live yogurt cultures complying with the specifications Fat-free yogurts and fermented milks with live yogurt cultures, with added vitamin D, and with no added sugars, help to reduce body and visceral fat in the context of an energy-restricted diet -/- Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8475, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
19. eyg-daily-r1-08 · scoping review
    No clear evidence indicates that milk and egg products contain the meat factor.
    Adv Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29