Eggs Bad for Microbiome? First Impressions Can Be Deceiving
Does microbiome + eggs = heart attacks? The truth is a bit more complex
Eggs are one of those foods that, like coffee, seem to flip back and forth on the “is it healthy” scale. They’re bad for you! No, they’re good for you! They increase risk of heart attacks because of high cholesterol! No, they’re fine for cholesterol!
Now, with more people focusing on the gut microbiome and its complex effects on our own health, eggs have come up… again. The newest question: do eggs interact with our gut microbiome to cause problems? Or are they still fine to eat?
The answer is more complex than it seems at first glance. It turns out:
- Eggs could be bad, based on their chemistry…
- …but they’re probably not, based on our anatomy…
- …but they still could be problematic for some people.
Let’s dig into this question, and get a clear answer in black and (egg) white.
From choline to TMAO
In order to understand the concerns with eggs, we need to understand the TMAO synthesis pathway. (Don’t worry — I’ll keep it all high level and easy to follow!)
