If I Eat 3 Eggs Every Day For 90 years Will I live to be 117 Years Old Too?

Probably not. But, Ms. Emma Morano, born on November 29 th , 1899 in Italy did just

that. She recently passed in April of 2017 at 117 years old. At the time Emma was

officially the only person still alive that was born in the 19 th century.

I'm always interested in checking out the lifestyle choices of centenarians, especially

“supercentenarians” who survive too well over 100 years old. With so many variables

involved, especially individual genetic influences, we can’t assume direct cause and

effect relationships regarding longevity. Most of know someone who lived a pristine life

and died prematurely and someone who did "everything wrong" health wise and lived to

old age. It’s fun to try though, and there may be some value in the attempt.

Ms. Morano mostly credits her long life with two life-altering acts. She was enduring an

unhealthy and abusive marriage and kicked her husband out in 1938. She never re-

married, staying single for the next 80 years, living a relatively stress-free life. She also

credits her longevity to a seemingly excessive and counter-productive dietary change. A

doctor diagnosed her with anemia shortly after World War One and suggested she

significantly increase her consumption of eggs. From that time on she had eaten three

eggs, two raw and one cooked every day for more than 90 years.

Her doctor of 27 years, Carlo Bava, told AFP news agency: "When I met her, she ate

three eggs per day, two raw in the morning and then an omelet at noon, and usually

chicken at dinner." He also stated that "Emma has always eaten very few vegetables,

very little fruit,” while admitting that her diet does defy all accepted advice on healthy

living. Even her doctor suggests 3 eggs per day to be longevity reducing rather than

longevity enhancing. Emma’s life spanned three decades. Just think about that!

According to her own account, she ate 3 eggs a day for more than 90 years eating at

least 98,618 eggs in her lifetime. This number should put cardiologists into cardiac

arrest just by reading it.

Can we learn anything from this story? As I suggested earlier, no valid, population-

based dietary conclusions can be drawn. A better question is this. Is it possible that

consuming 3 eggs every day may not be harmful and in fact can be health-enhancing? I

believe so. I’m willing to bet that her egg and chicken sources were organically raised. It

is also known that Emma ate two of her eggs raw which would have preserved the

natural enzymes and other nutrients that nature provides to properly digest and absorb

them. It was also noteworthy that she ate very few vegetables and few fruits. The egg is

about as close to a food-based vitamin and mineral supplement there is. The nutrient

density of eggs may have supported much of her body's nutrient needs threatened by

the lack of fruits and vegetables. A final observation is that her diet lacked simple and

starchy vegetable carbohydrates. I suspect that maximum insulin sensitivity, and not

overburdening her body (primarily liver) by not having to clear glucose from her

bloodstream very often may have contributed to her long life. Ms. Morano’s diet

appeared to resemble a Paleo/Keto hybrid which can produce longevity-enhancing

properties.

Luck, genetics, eggs every day, Insulin sensitivity, stress and anxiety reduction for

longevity? I don’t know. I do however consider this story as another piece of anecdotal

evidence that eggs and dietary cholesterol are not the disease-causing problems they

are often characterized as. In fact, it may be just the opposite.

Wayne Coolidge Jr., M.Ed. is a scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker. He owns

Healthy Dynamic Living, an innovative health promotion consulting firm.