For years, physicians have been telling their patients to limit eggs in their diet due to concerns about high cholesterol. And many patients obeyed, keeping their egg consumption at an absolute minimum.
But a new research study says that eating 1 egg a day is associated with a 12% reduction in their risk for stroke.
This study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition [1], also debunked the notion that eggs are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD).
Continue Reading
The researchers’ systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that consuming up to 1 egg a day added no risk of heart disease, but decreased cerebrovascular accident (CVA) risk by 12%. Their study looked at data compiled from a total of 276,000 subjects for CHD and 308,000 subjects for CVA.
The documented benefits of egg consumption seem to be growing and may actually help to explain the findings in a recent Huffington Post article [2], which revealed the dietary secrets of the world’s oldest woman.
The woman, Emma Morano, aged 116 years, of Verbania, Italy, says she eats 2 raw eggs a day. This had been recommended by Morano’s doctor decades earlier as a remedy for her anemia.
Few doctors would recommend eating raw eggs to a patient as there is always a risk of contracting salmonella, which can be very deleterious in infants and older or immunocompromised adults [3]. Eggs are also extremely dangerous, of course, to individuals with known egg allergies.
In 1 large egg, there is about 6 grams of high-quality protein and antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin that are found within the egg yolk, as well as vitamins E, D and A, say the researchers.
And while 1 large egg also contains 186 milligrams of cholesterol, according to the US Department of Agriculture, this cholesterol may be inconsequential for the vast majority of patients.
“Most people don’t need to worry about eating eggs and their cholesterol,” reports The Heart Foundation. “The cholesterol in eggs has almost no effect on our blood cholesterol levels. Our cholesterol levels are more influenced by the saturated and trans fat that we eat.” [4]
Perhaps the much-maligned egg will be much maligned no more.
Reference
1. Alexander DD, Miller PE, Vargas AJ, Weed DL, Cohen SS. Meta-analysis of egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. J Am Coll Nutr. 2016 October. 6: 1-13.
2. Shaw Y. “World’s Oldest Woman, 116, Reveals The One Food She Eats Every Day, She turns 117 in November.” The Huffington Post. Updated October 31, 2016. Available at: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5817613ae4b0990edc323fb5. Accessed November 1, 2016.
3. “Salmonella and Eggs.”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Updated May 25, 2016. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellaeggs/. Accessed November 1, 2016.
4. “Eggs.” The Heart Foundation website. Available at: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au /healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition/protein-foods/eggs. Accessed November 1, 2016.
