Is it risky to eat raw or semi-cooked eggs?

Raw eggs are considered healthy and hence many people add them to milk and consume. Some people also have a taste for runny yolk and love to have half cooked eggs. In fact, uncooked egg whites are part of cream cakes and mayonnaise. But we may be exposing ourselves to dangerous bacteria that may cause food poisoning. But then, should one give up eating raw eggs completely? Read to know:

Raw eggs have almost same health benefits as cooked eggs. The cooked eggs don’t have the risk of salmonella, a type of harmful bacteria present in eggs. Raw or undercooked eggs can get contaminated by salmonella either because the hen that laid the egg was infected with the bacteria, or because the egg was laid in unsanitary conditions. But cooking eggs will kill any lingering bacteria, as they cannot survive in heat. Salmonella can be dangerous and causes food poisoning, gastrointestinal distress, diarrhoea, abdominal cramping and fever.

One whole large egg contains:

Calories: 72 in raw egg whereas 84 in hard-boiled egg.

Protein: 6 grams in raw eggs whereas 6.4 in hard-boiled eggs.

Fat: 5 grams in raw egg whereas 5.4 in hard-boiled egg.

Phosphorus: 10% of the RDI.

Selenium: 23% of the RD1.

Folate: 6% of the RDI.

Vitamin A: 5% of the RDI.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 14% of the RDI.

Consuming raw eggs has been linked to biotin deficiency. Eggs are a great source of biotin (water-soluble vitamin B) and raw egg white contains the protein avidin. Avidin binds to biotin and blocks the absorption of biotin in the digestive tract. Cooking an egg will destroy the binding power of avidin. However, it's unlikely to cause deficiency unless you eat a lot of raw eggs.

Overcooked eggs have compounds called glycotoxins, which increase the risk of diabetes and other types of chronic disease. These glycotoxins usually develop when you overcook foods or cook them on high heat. This means that raw eggs have no glycotoxins. With no glycotoxins, raw eggs are healthier because they retain more nutrients than the cooked ones. The best way to cook eggs is on low heat.

It is not completely possible to reduce the risk of infection while eating raw eggs. But there are some easy ways to reduce it:

- Never buy eggs that have passed the expiration date.

- Avoid using eggs that are cracked or dirty.

- Store eggs in refrigerator to minimize the risk.

Young children, elderly people and pregnant ladies should strictly avoid raw eggs. One can never say that raw eggs are 100 per cent safe. There can be small risk of raw eggs contaminated with bacteria but buying the pasteurized eggs will only help in reducing this risk.