Whether eating eggs is good for the human body has been debated in academic circles for decades. Eggs are packed with beneficial nutrients, including high-quality protein, but this is offset by the oft-cited cholesterol content and its impact on heart disease. A new study finds that eating one to six eggs a week can significantly reduce the risk of death from any cause, especially heart disease - even in people diagnosed with high cholesterol levels.
Now, a new study led by researchers at Monash University has revisited the issue of egg consumption, specifically looking at its link to death from heart disease in older adults, where research has been limited.
"Eggs are a nutrient-dense food that is a rich source of protein and a good source of essential nutrients such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), choline, and a variety of minerals and trace elements." Eggs are also an easily accessible source of protein and nutrients for older adults, with research showing that they are a preferred source of protein for older adults who may be experiencing age-related physical and sensory decline.
The researchers analyzed data from 8,756 Australian and American adults aged 70 and over who were participating in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in Older Adults (ASPREE) study and one of its sub-studies, the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Adults (ALSOP). As part of the latter study, participants self-reported their total egg intake, categorized as never/occasionally (never or once to twice per month), weekly (one to six times per week), and daily (daily or multiple times per day). The association between egg intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality (here, cardiovascular disease and cancer) was assessed after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health-related factors, clinical factors, and overall diet quality. The follow-up period was nearly six years.
Compared with participants who never or rarely ate eggs, participants who consumed eggs weekly (i.e., 1 to 6 eggs per week) had a 29% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 17% lower risk of death from any cause. There was no statistically significant association between egg consumption and deaths from cancer.
When the researchers looked at the impact of diet quality on the relationship between egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular death, they found that participants who had a moderate and high-quality diet and who consumed eggs weekly had a 33% and 44% lower risk of cardiovascular death, respectively, compared to those who never/frequently consumed eggs.
"Our main findings on CVD (cardiovascular disease) mortality were maintained among those with moderate to high diet quality, while a slightly reduced risk was observed among those with higher diet quality, suggesting that diet quality may play a further protective role in the association between egg consumption and mortality," the researchers said.
Interestingly, and contrary to the results of some previous studies, the researchers found that the relationship between weekly egg consumption and a lower risk of cardiovascular death remained regardless of the presence of unhealthy cholesterol or fat levels in the blood, known as dyslipidemia.
"Previous research has found that people with high cholesterol who eat eggs have a higher risk of death," said Wild. "We also looked at the relationship between egg consumption and mortality in people with dyslipidemia (clinically diagnosed as high cholesterol) and in people without dyslipidemia." We found that participants with dyslipidemia who consumed eggs weekly had a 27% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death compared with participants who rarely or never consumed eggs, suggesting that the presence of dyslipidemia did not influence the risk associated with egg consumption in this study cohort. "
Currently, the American Heart Association states that healthy people can eat one whole egg a day, and "older adults with healthy cholesterol levels can eat two" because of the nutritional value of eggs. The Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Heart Foundation also recommend that adults with normal cholesterol eat up to seven eggs per week.
"Our findings suggest that eating up to six eggs per week may reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular-related disease in older adults," said Wild. "These findings may be useful in developing evidence-based dietary guidelines for older adults."
The study was published in the journal Nutrients.
SourceMonashUniversity