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One Major Effect of Eating Hard-Boiled Eggs, Says Science

They contain one essential nutrient you've likely never even heard of.
FACT CHECKED BY Sydney Greene

Eggs are nutrient powerhouses, especially if you keep the yolk in. Not to mention, there are so many ways you can incorporate eggs into meals. Aside from scrambled eggs, there's a lot you can whip up in a skillet—from omelets to poached eggs.

In the oven, you can elevate your egg dish by preparing quiche or a casserole. But what about preparing something a bit more simple that's not just eggs over-easy but not quite as complicated as an egg soufflé? Something like hard-boiled eggs.

Whether you eat them as a snack with a sprinkle of salt and cracked black pepper or take it one step further and turn them into deviled eggs, hard-boiled eggs are not only delicious—they're one of the richest sources of a specific nutrient called choline.

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Healthy snack meal prep with cut carrots celery hard boiled eggs apples grape almonds and rice cakes
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Some research suggests that Americans don't consume enough foods that contain choline, despite it being an essential nutrient. Choline does a number of positive things for the body, from DNA synthesis and regulating gene expression to helping produce a neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine, which is necessary for mood, memory, muscle control, and other nervous system functions.

Choline also aids in the body's removal of harmful LDL cholesterol, as it helps make a substance that breaks down cholesterol in the liver. Not consuming enough choline in your diet could potentially cause a buildup of LDL in this organ.

According to the USDA's FoodData Central, one large hard-boiled egg contains 147 milligrams of choline, making it the second-richest source of the nutrient behind beef liver. The National Institutes of Health say that the average adult man requires about 402 milligrams of choline daily, whereas women need about 278 milligrams.

Apart from choline, hard-boiled eggs are a good source of protein and man vitamins including A, D, E, K, and several B vitamins. So, get to boiling (instead of cracking!).

For more, be sure to check out Ways Eating Eggs Can Help You Lose Weight, Say Dietitians.

Cheyenne Buckingham
Cheyenne Buckingham is the former news editor of Eat This, Not That! Read more about Cheyenne
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