Recent research has found that what hens eat affects consumers who eat those hens’ eggs.
Dr. Niva Shapira of Tel Aviv University’s School of Health Professions and her fellow researchers formulated specialized chicken feeds that are high in antioxidants and low in omega-6 fatty acids, which are known to have negative health effects. These formulas were then fed to hens from a young age. The researchers analyzed the composition of the eggs to find the feed that resulted in eggs with the desired nutritional value.
They then tested the special eggs’ effect on humans.
There were three groups of test participants. One was instructed to eat two of the special eggs per day, another was instructed to eat two standard eggs from the grocery store per day, and the controlled group was instructed to eat two to four standard eggs per week.
The group with a daily consumption of two standard eggs with high omega-6 levels had a 40 percent increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidizability. The group who ate the specialized eggs with high antioxidant and low omega-6 levels, on the other hand, had similar LDL oxidation levels as the group who ate only two to four eggs a week.
Thus, with the specialized eggs, we may eat twice today’s recommended intake and still stay healthy, Shapira said, according to a press release.
The findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
