When it comes to the best and cheapest food in the world, it’s eggs.
At the same time, eggs are also one of the most used ingredients in daily life.
You should know that an egg contains about 7 grams of protein, 8 kinds of amino acids necessary for the human body, and rich lecithin. The protein type and amino acid composition ratio of the egg And perfect, second only to breast milk.
The most important thing is that the price is still cheap, and there are many ways to make it. How can anyone not love it?
Egg red is right and wrong, and eggs are also caught in gossip
Eggs have thousands of benefits, but a study of 500,000 people in the United States suggests otherwise:
An additional 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day (about 200-300 mg in an egg) was associated with a 19% increased risk of all-cause death.
(Association of Whole Egg Intake and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality)
What is this all about?
The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, published in PLOS MEDICINE, looked at the association of eggs with cholesterol intake, all-cause, and risk of death from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
Researchers selected 521,120 participants across 6 US states, with an average age of 62.2 years and 41.2% women.
Following up from 1996 to 2011, the researchers assessed the participants’ whole egg, protein, and cholesterol intake by means of food frequency questionnaires. layer.
The final study showed that eating half an egg per day significantly increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CVD) and cancer mortality. This was primarily associated with increased cholesterol intake, with an additional 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day increasing these risks by 19%, 24% and 16%, respectively.
(Baseline characteristics of participants in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study Based on Whole Egg Intake)
According to the Chinese Food Composition Table, one egg (5g) contains an average of 292.5 mg of cholesterol.
In addition, the paper also pointed out that since cholesterol is mostly concentrated in the egg yolk, eating only egg whites will not lead to an increase in all-cause mortality.
The study was conducted over 16 years, and from the data in the paper, there does appear to be a strong association between eating an egg a day and an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
(Multivariate adjusted all-cause and cause-specific mortality for intake of whole eggs, egg white/egg substitute, and cholesterol)
Can eating eggs really cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases?
The paper has also caused a lot of heated discussions in China after its release. Many people think that the intake of eggs should be restricted, but this study is based on hundreds of thousands of Americans. The sample is likely not applicable to Chinese residents.
Including the first author of the paper also believes that there are actually great differences between China and the United States, whether it is diet, chronic diseases or medical levels.
In June 2021, a new study of more than 60,000 people by the team of Gu Dongfeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, completely overturned the conclusion drawn by the above-mentioned US study.
Research results show that for Chinese adults, eating 3-6 eggs a week will not only not cause cardiovascular problems caused by elevated cholesterol, but can significantly improve blood lipid metabolism .
The study included a sample of 60,952 participants over the age of 52.5 who ate eggs every week
Compared with those who did not like eggs, participants who ate between 3 and 6 eggs per week had better blood lipid performance, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C) levels decreased by 0.606 and 0.848 mg/dl, respectively.
Our view of elevated cholesterol as harmful to health in general, usually referring to elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, known as “bad cholesterol,” which is the blood vessel “Behind the scenes” of inner wall deposition, adhesion and even thrombosis.
With all that said, are eggs safe to eat?
Actually, Chinese people really don’t need to worry too much.
There are actually quite a few studies on the health aspects of eggs, and most studies show that eggs have nothing to do with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and even have a protective effect.
Because of this, the Chinese Nutrition Society also stated that from the perspective of food nutrition diversification, it is recommended to eat an egg every day. For patients with dyslipidemia and diabetes, the daily consumption should not exceed 1.
Therefore, for healthy adults, eating eggs will not increase the risk of death. If you like to eat them, it is not a problem to eat 2 or 3 eggs a day.
Of course, too much protein may increase the burden on the liver and kidney. If there is a problem with the liver and kidney, you need to consult a doctor first.
References:
[1] Fan Zhihong. Is one egg a day harmful? The reliability is not high! [J]. Jiangsu Health Care, 2021(04):56.
【2】250 mg/d, optimal cholesterol intake[J]. Chinese Community Physician, 2020,36(17):122.