Furore over health benefits of quail eggs

In recent times there has been a radical promotion of quail eggs as possible treatment for several diseases from diabetes, high blood pressure to cancer. But nutritionists urge caution and call for scientific probe. 

CHUKWUMA MUANYA examines the possible health effects and dangers of eating quail eggs.

THE verdict is out: there are no documented evidence nor clinical trials that eating quail eggs could provide cure or prevent the development of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, among other degenerative diseases.

  Until now, quail eggs are being marketed in Nigeria as a cure to male impotence, hair loss, type 1 diabetes, high cholesterol, tuberculosis, hypertension, cancer, wrinkles, among other diseases. 

  Egg consumption is a popular choice for good nutrients, which they are variety of chicken, duck, roe, and caviar, but by a wide margin the egg most often humanly consumed is the chicken egg. 

  Indeed, Thai researchers in a study published recently in International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications wrote: “Besides, a lot of people especially in Asian countries consume quail eggs which previous study reported that quail eggs are packed with vitamins and minerals even with their small size, their nutritional value is three to four times greater than chicken eggs. 

  “Regular consumption of quail eggs helps fight against many diseases, which is a natural combatant against digestive tract disorders such as stomach ulcers. Quail eggs strengthen the immune system, promote memory health, increase brain activity and stabilize the nervous system. They help with anemia by increasing the level of hemoglobin in the body while removing toxins and heavy metals. 

  “Chinese use quail eggs to help treat tuberculosis, asthma, and even diabetes. Quail eggs can help prevent sufferer of kidney, liver, or gallbladder stones and remove these types of stones. The nutritional value of quail eggs is much higher than those offered by other eggs with they are rich sources of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, and give us a lot of nutrition than do other foods.”

  But The Guardian’s investigation revealed that there is not a single clinical trial to prove any of the claims, nor were they listed anywhere in the world as therapeutic product.

  President Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Prof. Ngozi Nnam, told The Guardian in a telephone chat that there is no evidence to back up such claims. She, however, refused to rule out the possibilities of quail eggs containing substances that could provide cures to degenerative diseases and called for scientific investigation.

  “Nnam said: “People do not have evidence. You need to have to evidence. You don’t rule it out because these days with extensive discoveries on phytochemicals and antioxidants most diseases are treatable.

  “There is need for scientific verification of these claims. You cannot rule these claims out especially in these days of phytochemicals and antioxidants that is substances in natural products that can cure all.

  “However, I cannot say anything about quail eggs until after scientific investigation. Also, we have to be careful about quacks.”

  The results of a cross-sectional study of quail eggs conducted to evaluate the nutritional compositions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, calories, vitamin, minerals and sex hormones showed that average of each whole quail egg weight was 10.67 g.     

  According to the study published International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, their contents of ash, carbohydrate, fat, protein and moisture were 1.06, 4.01, 9.89, 12.7 and 72.25 g 100g-1, respectively. 

   The researchers from the College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, wrote: “Total energy in calories obtained was 156.50 kcal 100g-1 whole egg. The most essential amino acid found in egg whites, was leucine and the most non-essential amino acid was aspartic acid. Egg yolks contained the highest essential fatty acid content of linoleic acid and the highest non-essential fatty acid content of oleic acid.

  “In addition, there was high content of vitamin E in egg yolks and sex hormone progesterone in both of egg yolks and whites. The most essential and trace minerals of whole eggs were nitrogen and iron. Iron was high content in egg whites meanwhile nitrogen and zinc were found high in egg yolks. This study indicated that quail eggs contained high nutritional contents of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamin E, sex hormone P and minerals of nitrogen, iron and zinc. Quail eggs are the good source of nutrients for human health.”

  A comparison of the cholesterol content of chicken and quail eggs showed that there was no significant difference in the cholesterol levels of large, white- and dark-shelled eggs.

  According to the study published in Journal of Food Composition and Analysis by Brazilian researchers, although slightly lower, the cholesterol concentration of small, white-shelled eggs was also not significantly different in terms of mg/g yolk.   

  The researchers wrote: “The cholesterol content of the quail egg in mg/g yolk was very similar to that of the chicken egg. No significant difference was seen also when the cholesterol levels of raw and cooked chicken eggs were compared. The overall average of the cholesterol content of the chicken egg was 12.0 mg/g yolk and that of the quail egg was 12.1 mg/g yolk.”

  A survey of the potentials of quail egg in human diet by Nigerian researchers revealed that quail egg was cheapest in comparison to other egg types. 

  The potentials of quail egg in human diet were evaluated among 44 randomly selected respondents in Vom, Plateau State.

  The study is titled “Alleviating Protein Deficiency In Nigeria: The Quail Egg Alternative” was published in Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and the Social Sciences.

  The researchers concluded: “It is therefore recommended that, there should be adequate co-operation between researchers and commercial quail breeders, while government policies in food security should take into cognizance, the great potentials in quail rearing (particularly the egg) because of its very high nutritive value, excellent taste and economy of production.” 

  Proximate analysis indicated that quail egg has a high crude protein content of 18.2 per cent. The findings further revealed that quail egg consumption spread across all age ranges and gender. Marital status was no barrier to quail egg consumption. Majority of the quail egg consumers were Christians (79.4 per cent) and low-income earners (52.9 per cent) with 58.8 per cent consuming it for its affordability, 29.4 per cent (for its taste) and 11.8 per cent (for nutritive value). Quail egg ranked third position in preference to other egg types, local chicken egg (fourth), Guinea fowl egg (second), and exotic chicken egg (first). 

Dosage

  Researchers from the poultry breeding unit, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, Bulgaria in a recent study published in Trakia Journal of Sciences wrote: “According to recommendations of nutritionists about six chicken eggs per week provided by Bakalivanova and their weight equivalent (28 quail eggs), we could recommend the daily intake of four average quail eggs (13.5-13.8 g). With them, one receives 3.44-3.72 g essential amino acids. This way, an 80-kg man with either intellectual activities or engaged in heavy physical labour could satisfy 34.4- 37.2 per cent and 13.2-14.4 per cent of his daily needs, respectively. 

  “The daily consumption of four quail eggs provides 10.5 per cent of needed lysine from the ‘ideal protein’ and 14.1 per cent of needs from methionine+cysteine. The obtained energy is 383.3 kJ, together with 3.360 g unsaturated fatty acids, including 0.790 g ?6 and 0.033 g ?3 fatty acids. With four quail eggs one receives 29.1 mg calcium, 89.5 mg phosphorus, 4.7 mg magnesium, 0.76 mg Iron and 0.38 mg zinc.”