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Food Fact Friday: Eggs & Gains

Writer: Running Bear HernandezRunning Bear Hernandez

If you’re lifting heavy but skipping eggs, you’re leaving gains on the table. Each egg packs 6g of high-quality protein, loaded with leucine, the MVP of muscle protein synthesis. That means faster recovery, stronger lifts, and more muscle growth.


Why Eggs Are a Resistance Training Powerhouse:


🥚 Complete Protein & Amino Acids – Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source, perfect for muscle repair and recovery (Walzem et al.).


💪 High Leucine Content – With about 0.5g of leucine per egg, they directly stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), crucial for muscle growth (Tipton and Wolfe).


⚡Rich in BCAAs – Eggs provide branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—key for muscle repair, reducing soreness, and improving endurance (Wolfe).


🔥 Perfect Protein Absorption – The Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) rates eggs at 1.0, meaning they’re one of the best-absorbed protein sources you can eat (Schaafsma).


🧠 Packed with Micronutrients:

- Choline: Supports brain function and nervous system health, so you stay sharp in and out of the gym (Zeisel).


- Vitamin D: Plays a role in testosterone production and bone strength—both critical for resistance training (Pilz et al.).


❤️ Eggs & Heart Health – Studies show that dietary cholesterol from eggs does NOT negatively impact heart health (Fernandez).


🥚 Eggs vs. Whey? – While whey is great post-workout, whole foods like eggs offer longer-lasting protein absorption, keeping muscles fueled for hours—perfect for those who train fasted or need sustained energy (van Vliet et al.).


Bottom Line:

Eggs aren’t just a breakfast staple—they’re a muscle-building essential. If you’re serious about strength, recovery, and performance, make eggs a part of your nutrition game.


Moral of the story: Crack ‘em, cook ‘em, eat ‘em. Then lift heavy.


- Fernandez, Maria Luz. "Rethinking dietary cholesterol." *Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care*, vol. 15, no. 2, 2012, pp. 117-121.


- Pilz, Stefan, et al. "Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men." *Hormone and Metabolic Research*, vol. 43, no. 3, 2011, pp. 223-225.


- Schaafsma, Gertjan. "The Protein Digestibility–Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS): Its Application in Human Nutrition." *Journal of Nutrition*, vol. 130, no. 7, 2000, pp. 1865S-1867S.


- Tipton, Kevin D., and Robert R. Wolfe. "Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth." *International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism*, vol. 11, no. 1, 2001, pp. 109-132.


- van Vliet, Stephan, et al. "The muscle protein synthetic response to meal ingestion following resistance-type exercise." *Sports Medicine*, vol. 45, no. 5, 2015, pp. 725-738.


- Walzem, Rosemary L., et al. "Eggs as a food source of essential amino acids." *Poultry Science*, vol. 78, no. 12, 1999, pp. 1838-1843.


- Wolfe, Robert R. "Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality?" *Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition*, vol. 14, no. 1, 2017, pp. 30.


- Zeisel, Steven H. "Choline: critical role during fetal development and dietary requirements in adults." *Annual Review of Nutrition*, vol. 26, 2006, pp. 229-250.

 
 
 

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