That Health Rules

Controversies continue to surround whether eggs can cause harm if taken daily or not. Debate among the experts continue with assumptions that cholesterol in the diet actually has little effect on blood cholesterol.  No doubt that intake of saturated fat can increase the level of blood cholesterol and risk a patient to develop heart attack and stroke.  The relationship of Egg intake to disease continues to be debatable.

Now comes a new study publsished in the Diabetes Care , this February 2009  that for sure will add fuel to the ongoing controversy:

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OBJECTIVE—Whereas limited and inconsistent findings have been reported on the relation between dietary cholesterol or egg consumption and fasting glucose, no previous study has examined the association between egg consumption and type 2 diabetes. This project sought to examine the relation between egg intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes in two large prospective cohorts.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In this prospective study, we used data from two completed randomized trials: 20,703 men from the Physicians’ Health Study I (1982–2007) and 36,295 women from the Women’s Health Study (1992–2007). Egg consumption was ascertained using questionnaires, and we used the Cox proportional hazard model to estimate relative risks of type 2 diabetes.

RESULTS—During mean follow-up of 20.0 years in men and 11.7 years in women, 1,921 men and 2,112 women developed type 2 diabetes. Compared with no egg consumption, multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for type 2 diabetes were 1.09 (95% CI 0.87–1.37), 1.09 (0.88–1.34), 1.18 (0.95–1.45), 1.46 (1.14–1.86), and 1.58 (1.25–2.01) for consumption of <1, 1, 2–4, 5–6, and 7 eggs/week, respectively, in men (P for trend <0.0001). Corresponding multivariable hazard ratios for women were 1.06 (0.92–1.22), 0.97 (0.83–1.12), 1.19 (1.03–1.38), 1.18 (0.88–1.58), and 1.77 (1.28–2.43), respectively (P for trend <0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS—These data suggest that high levels of egg consumption (daily) are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Confirmation of these findings in other populations is warranted.

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The question arises: whether it is the intake of egg that increased the risk to develop diabetes.  Or is it the relationship of the high fat diet associated with the egg intake that increased the risk.  It is known that high cholesterol and saturated fat intake can increase a patients risk to develop diabetes.

So when the study participants’ daily cholesterol intake was assessed, it showed a relationship related to diabetes risk!!!  When the researchers factored this relationship in, the association between egg intake and diabetes weakened suggesting that a cholesterol-rich diet might promote diabetes.  This also suggest that a person who may like eggs may also eat other fatty foods that will result in increasing the risk to deveolp the disease.

So a not so good news for egg lovers who have family history of diabetes.  This is one food that one may have to limit for now until more studies will show the relationship to be otherwise.

But for the others who have no risk of developing diabetes…I suggest that eggs should remain to be enjoyed as long as one should not exceed 3-5 eggs per week.  This recommnedation will stay for now. 

But do … Watch out in this site if new developments come in about eggs because for sure I will be the first to know and you will be the first to be informed !!!!

This entry was posted on February 23, 2009 at 2:49 pm and is filed under General Health Tips, Lifestyle Measures, Medical News Bits, What's New in Diabetes.