egg whites: raw or cooked?

[uniqueusername]

Does it matter if one eats/drinks egg whites raw or cooked?

[RaginCajun]

Egg whites out the carton are fine but be wary of egg whites from eggs as they are not pasteurized

[-Ender-]

The nutritional value is virtually the same raw or cooked.

The importance of cooking any food is to reduce the possibility of contracting foodborne pathogens or bacteria.

For example:

Salmonella

Salmonella lives in the intestinal tract of humans and animals, especially birds. Salmonella can be passed to humans by eating contaminated foods. The two most common types are Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium, which account for half of all human infections in the U.S. Salmonellosis causes diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours after eating food contaminated with Salmonella. On average only 1 of every 20,000 commercially produced eggs might contain the Salmonella bacteria.

Bacillus cereus
Bacillus cereus is a bacteria that can be harmful to humans and cause foodborne illness, or can be beneficial for animals as probiotics.

Campylobacter
Symptoms of campylobacterosis typically include headache, muscle pain and fever that is followed by watery or bloody diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain, which occur two to five days after ingestion and can last from three to 10 days.

Staphylococcus Aureus
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium capable of producing a toxin that causes illness in humans.
(some information lifted from eggsaftey.org)

personally: I cook them.

[uniqueusername]

I use egg whites out of the carton.

Due to schedule limitations I don't have a lot of time to eat so I find drinking egg whites the most effective solution hence this gross move.

[SlimmerMe]

Out of carton. Easier. Faster. And pasteurized if not cooking.