The title of this post may have you puzzled! Are eggs making my autoimmune disease worse??
Believe me, this new research I have done has thrown me for a loop, but it makes perfect scientific sense once I checked it out.
I started investigating eggs relating to auto-immune diseases because my husband continues to struggle with his health, and it has been difficult trying to figure out any possible diet changes. His GI mentioned something about eggs, and I was curious about it.
So, I wanted to make sure to share this with all my readers because many of you also suffer from autoimmune diseases!
PIN THIS: Are Eggs Making My Autoimmune Disease Worse?
First, come join me on instagram for daily tips and photos! I also share many stories behind the scenes on life with an autoimmune disease and so many things with the baby now 🙂
Quick background on my husband. Most of you know he had his entire colon removed in 2010 after battling severe ulcerative colitis which turned into the beginning stages of colon cancer. He had a few surgeries, and now has an internal J-pouch. For the last three or four years, he has had the auto-immune disease come back in his Jpouch, just like he did when he had colitis. It continues to be a LONG road for him especially with his work in law enforcement now.
We have tweaked and changed his diet so much over the years. We know that dairy is the number one irritant for him which is also the number one issue with my rheumatoid arthritis. Read more about the truth in eliminating dairy for auto-immune diseases.
He cut out gluten for a long time and that actually made it worse. Since he doesn’t have a colon, he needs gluten proteins to form a stool. Gluten doesn’t cause inflammation for him. He limits greasy foods, vegetables (the fiber makes his day miserable), and high fiber fruits like apples.
He’s done more plant based diets, paleo diets, and anti-inflammatory diets.
One diet factor he has kept through all of those changes is eggs. He switched to egg white protein because he can’t do dairy, and the plant based protein I use caused too much irritation. He had eggs for breakfast, boiled eggs for snacks, egg white proteins after lifting weights, and all types of protein bars made with eggs.
His gastroenterologist mentioned awhile back he might want to eliminate eggs. It is based on some new research about digestive diseases.
This really baffled my scientific brain because he has always done so well with eggs.
I immediately came home and started researching, what in eggs could be causing more irritation for him??
The answer: Omega 6.
In America, we have a large consumption of Omega 6 compared to other parts of the world. Eggs, peanut butter, vegetable oils, and soybean oil among other things. What happens is the Omega 6 and the Omega 3 compete in the body. Most western diets aren’t very high in Omega 3, so we have an abundance of Omega 6.
According to this article from the US National Library of Medicine, many autoimmune diseases are “characterized by a high level of IL-1 and the proinflammatory leukotriene LTB(4) produced by omega-6 fatty acids.”
This means the higher the Omega 6 is in your body, the more likely it is to increase your autoimmune activity.
Omega 6 in Eggs
So, what does this have to do with eggs? Eggs have a much higher omega 6 content verses omega 3. About 13.8% is omega 6 to the 1.7% of omega 3.
If you eat a large amount of eggs, but not much other omega 3 sources, you will have much more omega 6 intake.
Eliminating Eggs
There is so much science going on behind the scenes in our bodies. It is absolutely fascinating how intricate and precise God made us. Instead of getting more into science, I will share with you the results my husband has had so far.
He eliminated all eggs from his diet and peanuts (he didn’t eat much of those though).
After about a week, he already noticed less inflammation and bleeding. After the third week, he continued to notice less inflammation although it isn’t 100% gone. The noticeable improvement has pushed him to go ahead and do two full months of no eggs.
It is best to allow your body plenty of time to get used to a diet change. The doctor recommended two full months to see what the full outcome is. We have already noticed a difference for him, so I will be sure to come back into this post and update after the 2nd month.
Eggs for Rheumatoid Arthritis
It’s no secret I love eggs! I eat them once or twice a week at the most though. I don’t have as much of an omega 6 consumption, so I don’t think it has ever bothered the inflammation I get from RA. I eat many omega 3 sources too like salmon, chia seeds, and walnuts, so that has probably helped.
Omega 3 Supplements
You might be wondering if you can just use an actual omega 3 supplement to offset the imbalance of too much omega 6. My husband did this for many months before eliminating eggs, but saw no difference in his inflammation. He takes it a few times a week now with the elimination of omega 6. The doctor said he doesn’t need much of it, just a little to try to combat the inflammation further.
I have taken fish oil many times over the years, but never had any noticeable benefit from it which is why I don’t share it for autoimmune relief. You can find all the supplements I take that have really helped my inflammation in this post.
Egg Sensitivity
It is also very common for people with autoimmune diseases to have an actual allergic sensitivity to eggs. This is totally different from the omega 3 and omega 6 situation. I know a few people who have different autoimmune diseases and are actually allergic to eggs, so they can’t have them at all.
If you have never been checked before, talk with your doctor about having a food allergy test!
Remember, even if you aren’t allergic to eggs, they might still be bothering your autoimmune disease due to the omega fatty acid imbalance, so keep that in mind.
How to Bake Without Eggs????
I have many readers who can’t have eggs, so we have a full post here on substituting eggs in baking!
[Tweet “Are eggs making my #autoimmune disease worse? @chemistrycachet”]
Be sure to check back with us in a few months to see his final results on eliminating eggs!
Disclaimer: PLEASE check with your doctor before changing your diet or if you have autoimmune issues! It is so important to have regular blood work and checkups from a physician.
Follow on Facebook | Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Hometalk
Linking with Met Monday and these link parties!
This was so interesting! I love information like this. It makes so much sense, I need to try it out too
So glad you enjoyed it! It is so neat to learn the science behind some of this new diet research for autoimmune diseases!
This is sooo FASCINATING! I had vaguely heard about Omega-6 vs Omega-3 and the conflict, but not much else. (And I didn’t dig into it) How smart of your doctor and you to research this! Glad your husband is starting to notice and feel improvements with this important dietary change… I’m looking forward to learn of the long term results… My RA doctor recommended an Omega-3 supplement (fish oil)… everything seems to be holding steady, but i will ask her in April. And thanks for the disclaimer – very important!
It has been really interesting researching this and then seeing his results so far! I look forward to seeing how it works long term for him!
Hi there! I actually completely agree with the fact that eggs can be an issue. I have RA as well, and I have noticed that if I eat eggs I tend to have flare ups, versus if I have just egg whites, then I do not flare up. So I try to just eat whites, but do give in to full eggs every now and then.
Thanks for sharing that! My research has showed egg whites also have high levels of omega 6, so my husband has cut those out as well. But many people only have issues with the actual yolk! I am looking forward to seeing how he continues to do on this diet 🙂
Omega 6 content/ratio of eggs is probably a minor factor when eating a whole foods diet with no rancid veggie oils. It’s a substance in the eggwhite that makes it the most problematic,especially for people suffering from autoimmune disease. Egg whites can permeate the gut lining and cause the immune system to react even more.
This is true. Unfortunately with bowel diseases, you can’t eat a normal balanced diet. Or in my husbands case, he doesn’t have a colon, so it’s hard to get the nutrional balance you need. His is definitely omega 6 and has made such a difference
Never heard of this. I’ve had RA for 38 years. It’s a hell that never ends. I’m on my 6th biologic. Avoiding the nightshade veggies is all I have been told. I don’t eat dairy, eat all organic if possible. I have 2 organic eggs for breakfast every day. I am on my 2nd flare-up of psoriasis. I will certainly eliminate eggs and give it a try. Thank you and please keep us informed. Curious in the findings. Take care.
I’ve had it for 21 years and it is definitely rough. I don’t eat many eggs in general, but eliminating them has helped my husband so much! I hope that you find it helps you too!
Did you se any significant results by eliminating eggs?
I personally have less arthritis pain when I eliminate eggs. My husband saw improvements for a few months, but then it stopped. He is eating eggs again okay
There are eggs that have omega-3 added to them. In your opinion would this help combat the omega-6 issue?
We have tried them before, but it still didn’t sit well with the body. My doctor also told me eggs contain a high level of sulfur which can hinder autoimmune diseases and inflammation, so I think that is also the why it causes issues!
So what do you guys eat on a regular basis? Eggs became a huge low carb staple for me. But I am having a lot of flare ups. Also, being borderline diabetic, eggs were a good choice. I also have a lot of colon/gut issues. So
Now I’m curious what your husband eats on a regular basis. It seems so hard to find anything that is realistic.
He eats a lot of oatmeal for breakfast with nuts. Sometimes we do peanut butter toast or protein shakes.
I am sad that I can not eat eggs, because I really like them. I was told years ago by several health care providers that I am allergic to them, but I decided to eat them anyway. If I eat more than one, my heart rate gets rapid and I notice auto immune flare ups. So, I have to get serious about this and not keep them around. The rapid heart rate concerns me, so I am stopping.
I am able to eat them occasionally, but not very often.
I’m intrigued by your husband’s results.
I have been looking at various diets to help with cognition and physiological inflammation due to my ADHD and chronic respiratory illness.
Dr. Mercola states in “Fat for Fuel” that plant sources of Omega-3, those with ALA chains, may not be as helpful as O3’s from the fishy counterparts. He also states that Krill oil and Cod-liver oil is absorbed more effectively than standard fish oils. I experienced something similar on this basis when I took his advice and feel noticeably better when I take 1-2g of these oils.
Also, I consume, at times, more than a dozen eggs a day and would get mild discomfort in my throat occasionally. I have read anecdotal evidence that suggests that eggs, in relation to AI diseases, are more likely to cause bodily inflammation from Omega-6 and mild eosinophilic esophagitis from the immune response to egg proteins.
After reading this, I will consider whether eggs should remain a staple in my diet.
Thank you for sharing your story!
He is able to eat eggs now occasionally, but he went many years without them at all and it really helped!
Thanks for writing this. Eggs were a huge staple for me, and I’ve been living with autoimmune inflammation for over a decade. Recently I eliminated eggs from my diet, and the transformation is incredible. It’s like I’m in complete remission. We’ll see if it lasts, but I haven’t felt this pain-free in a decade. Hoping everyone dealing with inflammation and brain fog finds a path to relief.
My husband has been able to do eggs occasionally now, but he still limits them and it has really helped over the last 5 years or so