Are Eggs Really to Blame for Boils, as Claimed by the Head of the National Nutrition Agency?

The head of Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sudaryono, recently stated that his childhood struggles with boils were a result of eating too many chicken eggs. He shared this personal anecdote shortly after his inauguration on July 22, 2026, suggesting a direct link between egg consumption and the skin condition.

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I myself am from a village. My mother raised chickens in the corner of the house, and I always ate them until, forgive me, I had boils everywhere. I feel I could grow and develop because of eggs, because fish were rare in Grobogan.

However, this claim has been challenged by medical professionals. Dr. Putri Hendria Wardhani, a dermatologist at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya, explained that boils are fundamentally bacterial infections. They occur when bacteria enter and infect hair follicles, often triggered by poor skin hygiene, friction, skin trauma, uncontrolled diabetes, weakened immunity, or obesity.

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There is no problem with eating eggs unless you have an egg allergy.

"There is no problem with eating eggs unless you have an egg allergy," Dr. Wardhani told Tempo on July 28, 2026. She stressed that eggs are an excellent source of protein and nutrients, providing essential building blocks for tissues, enzymes, and hormones, and supporting the immune system. She added that avoiding eggs could actually reduce crucial protein intake, especially for growing children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

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Especially for children in the growth period, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Nutrition expert Tan Shot Yen echoed these sentiments, labeling the idea that eggs cause boils as a myth. She explained that the perceived connection often arises from a misunderstanding of cause and effect, where two events occurring close in time are mistakenly linked. Tan clarified that if someone experiences discomfort after eating eggs, it is more likely an allergic reaction, such as itching or rashes, rather than a bacterial infection causing boils. She emphasized that in medicine, temporal association does not automatically imply causation.

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In medicine, the relationship of time does not always indicate a causal relationship.