Can eggs cure COVID-19?
Can eggs cure COVID-19?
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There is not enough evidence to conclude that any part of a chicken egg can help protect against COVID-19. This is true for regular eggs consumed on their own and for eggs with COVID-19 antibodies, which was studied in a lab.
There is not enough evidence to conclude that any part of a chicken egg can help protect against COVID-19. This is true for regular eggs consumed on their own and for eggs with COVID-19 antibodies, which was studied in a lab.
Publication
What our experts say
There is no conclusive evidence that any part of a chicken’s egg can protect against the COVID-19 virus. There is one study recently published (Wei et al.) that ran an experiment to determine if egg yolk antibodies (IgYs) blocked the binding of COVID-19 spike protein variants to the human ACE2 receptor, which is the protein that provides the entry point for the COVID-19 virus to get into and infect human cells. The study found that the egg yolk antibodies did indeed inhibit the replication and spread of the virus.
However, there are limitations to this study. First, it was conducted on the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, which is not exactly the same as the COVID-19 viruses circulating in the population. Second, the study was done in vitro, and was not conducted on any humans. In addition, though research is growing on this topic, it is still limited and will need replicability.
Finally, it’s important to note that the hens that laid the eggs were first injected with a recombinant spike protein vaccine which is what led to the egg yolks containing antibodies. As a result, it cannot be said that commercial consumer eggs could protect against COVID-19.
There is no conclusive evidence that any part of a chicken’s egg can protect against the COVID-19 virus. There is one study recently published (Wei et al.) that ran an experiment to determine if egg yolk antibodies (IgYs) blocked the binding of COVID-19 spike protein variants to the human ACE2 receptor, which is the protein that provides the entry point for the COVID-19 virus to get into and infect human cells. The study found that the egg yolk antibodies did indeed inhibit the replication and spread of the virus.
However, there are limitations to this study. First, it was conducted on the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, which is not exactly the same as the COVID-19 viruses circulating in the population. Second, the study was done in vitro, and was not conducted on any humans. In addition, though research is growing on this topic, it is still limited and will need replicability.
Finally, it’s important to note that the hens that laid the eggs were first injected with a recombinant spike protein vaccine which is what led to the egg yolks containing antibodies. As a result, it cannot be said that commercial consumer eggs could protect against COVID-19.
Context and background
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Resources
- Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2 (International Immunopharmacology)
- COVID-19: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression and tissue susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection (European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases)
- Construction and applications of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses: a mini review (International Journal of Biological Sciences)
- Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2 (International Immunopharmacology)
- COVID-19: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression and tissue susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection (European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases)
- Construction and applications of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses: a mini review (International Journal of Biological Sciences)
