Eggs: the new super-food?

In the near future it is possible that they will become healthier still.
Scientists have discovered that if you feed the hens certain seeds such as
flax- and linseed, the fatty acids in the yolk become more like the oily
fish we don’t generally eat enough of.

Early experiments foundered, because the eggs ended up tasting fishy. But a
paper this year by a group of American scientists reported that giving the
hens camelina meal (otherwise known as gold-of-pleasure) improved the
fatty-acid content of the eggs without spoiling the taste. I’m not generally
a fan of fortified foods, but if I could get the benefits of cod-liver oil
from a plate of eggs benedict, count me in.

What about cholesterol? That joyless Californian mess, the egg-white omelette, was born from the fear that the high cholesterol levels in yolk translated into high cholesterol in the human body. Recent studies, however, have suggested that this is not so. If you are predisposed to heart disease or a diabetes sufferer, then bingeing on fried egg and chips or three-egg omelettes smothered with melted cheese may not be wise. The medical advice is still to go easy on yolks after heart attack or stroke. But a 2010 study of 40 adults found that moderate egg consumption did not lead to higher cholesterol.

Which is happy news. As I hold my soldier over the yolk, poised to dip, it’s
all good.