“Eggs are the closest to perfect food, containing almost all the important nutrients that life needs.” Chen Xiafei, chief nutritionist of the Department of Nutrition of East China Hospital in Shanghai, once made such a high evaluation of a small egg.
But in daily life, many people are afraid to eat eggs, just because they are afraid of the cholesterol in eggs, and eating too many eggs will lead to heart disease. A recent study by Xiangya Hospital seems to limit the intake of eggs. New evidence found. Let’s see if it suits us Chinese.
1. New Xiangya study: Eating one more egg a day may increase the risk of heart disease and death
On April 1, the international journal “Circulation” published a study by Huang Jiaqi’s research team from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The researchers analyzed a cancer prevention program in the Netherlands that began in 1985. Dietary cholesterol, serum cholesterol, and egg intake data for 27,078 subjects in the study, which ended in late 2015.
A total of 22,035 people died, including 9,110 deaths, during a follow-up based on 482,316 person-years (mean, 18.2 years, and person-years are the composite unit of the length of the population to live) Cardiovascular disease, 7213 subjects who died of cancer.
The researchers analyzed the intake of exogenous dietary cholesterol and endogenous circulating cholesterol respectively. The researchers found: Increased dietary cholesterol and egg intake were significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Serum cholesterol concentrations were also significantly positively associated with cardiovascular mortality risk. The specific risks are:
1. Eating an extra 300 mg of cholesterol per day increases all-cause mortality by 10% and cardiovascular disease mortality by 13%.
2. Eating an extra 50g egg per day increases all-cause mortality by 6% and cardiovascular disease mortality by 9% strong>.
3. A cohort study of 3,601,401 people based on 49 risk estimates was again included and found that people in different regions face different risks: Eat an extra 50g egg per day , Americans were associated with a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, whereas Asians were not at increased risk.
Simply put, eating one more egg per day is associated with an increased risk of death from all-cause and cardiovascular disease. Researchers eventually proposed limiting dietary cholesterol to improve the Long-term health and longevity.
Eating eggs actually increases the risk of death? Have we all eaten eggs wrong for so many years? Can you still eat eggs?
Second, will eating eggs really raise cholesterol? Can Chinese still eat eggs?
It is worth reminding that the above study did not find an association between eggs and cardiovascular death in Asian populations, and the study only showed that eggs and cardiovascular mortality risk As there is an association between the risk of death, there is no direct evidence of a causal relationship.
Professor Huang Jiaqi, the corresponding author of the research paper, also said that the research done by their team is an observational study based on large data samples, and the conclusions drawn do not represent a causal relationship, but rather a causal relationship. is a correlation analysis. Professor Huang only recommends controlling the total cholesterol intake, and eating eggs properly is no problem.
And for Chinese people, eating eggs in moderation is beneficial. The structure, cooking method, physique and foreigners are different.
Led by the team of Professor Li Liming from the School of Public Health of Peking University, published in the internationally renowned journal Heart on May 21, 2018, based on 510,000 Chinese Human studies have shown an inverse relationship between moderate egg intake and cardiovascular disease risk, with people who ate one egg a day compared to those who didn’t eat eggs for a variety of cardiovascular disease The risk of death is all down…the word “moderate” is very important.
Ruan Guangfeng, Director of Science and Technology Department of Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center said that the cholesterol in human blood is not exactly the same as that in food. The cholesterol in blood is 7-8 It needs to be synthesized by the liver, and only a small part is ingested through the diet.
Most of the cholesterol contained in food cannot be absorbed and utilized by the body. Compared with the high-fat, high-calorie fish and meat, there is no need to worry too much about the cholesterol in eggs. On the contrary, eggs also contain many nutrients such as protein, which can offset the hidden danger of excessive cholesterol.
In other words, Chinese people can still eat eggs with confidence, so how many eggs should be eaten every day?
Third, how many eggs are better to eat a day?
Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2021 recommends that the weekly intake of egg products is 280~350g, which is about one per day. One egg a day is suitable for most people. Can people with high blood lipids and abnormal blood lipids eat them?
Li Baihua, associate nutritionist of the Department of Nutrition of the Third Hospital of Peking University, said that there is no standard answer to this question, and it should be determined according to the specific situation. Certainly.
1. High triglyceride in a single item – one a day
The blood test only has a high triglyceride content, and eating an egg a day is not enough questionable.
2. Cholesterol content 6~8mmol/L——half an egg yolk every day
The cholesterol level in the blood is not particularly high. You can eat half an egg yolk every day, plus a proper daily intake of meat. , it is more reasonable to maintain the cholesterol intake at around 300mg throughout the day.
3. Cholesterol content exceeds 8mmol/L – limit red meat, half an egg yolk per day
People with particularly high cholesterol content are generally recommended to take it in the morning Add two egg whites instead of egg yolks. Some people who especially want to eat egg yolks can also eat half an egg yolk every day, but at the same time reduce the intake of red meat at noon and evening, replace it with soy products and fish, and control the average daily intake of cholesterol to about 200mg.
Fourth, extended reading: eat eggs, don’t fall into these misunderstandings again
The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that < strong>China’s per capita egg consumption in 2021 is 13.2 kg, which is less than the 14.6 kg recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. When it comes to eating eggs, many people still fall into these misunderstandings and cannot extricate themselves.
1. The darker the eggshell, the better?
The color of egg shells is not static. Some colors are darker and some are lighter. Many people in life believe that the darker the color, the higher the nutritional value. In fact, the color of the egg shell only represents the difference in chicken breeds and has nothing to do with nutrition.
2. The yellower the egg yolk, the better?
Many people also think that the darker the egg yolk, the better. In fact, the color of the egg yolk is related to the various pigments it contains, such as carotene, which does have nutritional value. However, there are currently many technical means on the market that can deepen the color of egg yolks, which not only does not increase nutrition, but may also bring safety hazards.
3. Are raw eggs more nutritious?
Eating raw eggs interferes with the absorption of biotin and can easily lead to bacteria in the body, which is not good for health. Of course, there are now sterile eggs on the market, which can be eaten raw.
Egg is one of the common foods in our life, and there are really many “black pots” about it. Under the premise that we eat in moderation in our daily life, it will not bring additional risks to our health.
References:
[1] “Associations of Dietary Cholesterol, Serum Cholesterol, and Egg Consumption With Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality, and Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis”. Circulation.2022.04.01
[2]”Associations of egg consumption with cardiovascular disease in a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults”. Heart.2018.05.18
[3]” Does Eating Eggs Raise Cholesterol? Experts give clear answers! “.Health Times.2019.10.10
[4]”Can’t people with high blood lipids eat egg yolks? The truth is. . . “.Healthy China.2016.4.13
[5]”Can an egg a day lead to early death? Author of the paper: Everyone understands it wrong”. Science and Technology Workers. 2022.04.19