The one way you should never cook eggs

Q: I like to eat a good breakfast every day, and that usually means an egg or two. I say they’re harmless, but my husband says all those eggs could kill me. Who’s right?

Dr. Wright: There are two things I usually don’t like to get in the middle of: stampedes and marriages. And not in that order.

But in this case, you’re both right. Eggs are harmless AND they could kill you.

How can both of those things be true? It all comes down to how the eggs are prepared.

Let me explain. Almost 100 years ago, now-famous Russian researcher Nikolai Anitschkov fed cholesterol to rabbits. When the rabbits developed atherosclerotic vascular disease, it was said to prove that cholesterol causes atherosclerosis.

But in a much-less-publicized experiment approximately half a century later, another researcher tried to duplicate Anitschkov’s research. Unlike Anitschkov, he was careful not to allow the cholesterol to lie around the rabbit cages exposed to air, which causes it to oxidize quite rapidly. The rabbits did not develop coronary atherosclerosis, and their arteries remained clear.

What this follow-up study proved is that oxidized cholesterol, not cholesterol itself, can cause atherosclerosis in rabbits. When you cook scrambled eggs, you break the yolks, which contain most of the cholesterol, allowing the cholesterol to oxidize even before you eat it.

If you’re otherwise eating quite well and taking your daily supplements (including anti-oxidants), the occasional scrambled egg while you’re traveling or visiting friends or relatives certainly won’t kill you. But if you’re a scrambled egg lover, you may want to switch to poached, over easy, or hard boiled. These cooking methods are unlikely to damage your heart or arteries.

Bear in mind we are not addressing anyone’s personal situation and you should rely on this for informational purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.