Xiangya's new research: Eating one more egg a day increases the risk of death? Is an egg a day healthy?
"Eggs are high in cholesterol, so it's best not to eat them."
"Experts say you can only eat one egg a day at most."
Can you eat eggs? Can you eat more? It is estimated that many people are confused.
A man in Hubei has a soft spot for eggs. He eats 4 or 5 eggs a day . In addition, he is usually busy with work, has irregular work and rest, and does not like to drink water. Later, he was diagnosed with gallstones .
After two years of delay, he went to the hospital for surgery because he couldn't carry it. As a result, the doctor took out hundreds of dense small stones from his gallbladder , which looked very scary.
It can be seen that although eggs are rich in nutrients, they cannot be eaten too much. So how should eggs be eaten for health?
1. New Xiangya Research: Eating more eggs increases the risk of death?
This year, a research team from the Endocrinology Department of the Second Xiangya Hospital published a study in the top cardiovascular journal "Circulation", which pointed out the relationship between egg intake and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death.
The researchers followed more than 480,000 people over a long period of time and ended up with 22,035 deaths, including 9,110 from cardiovascular disease.
The analysis found that higher dietary cholesterol intake was associated with increased overall and cardiovascular mortality .
Specifically, consuming 300 mg more cholesterol per day (less than two eggs) above the average intake was associated with a 10% increase in overall mortality and a 13% increase in cardiovascular mortality.
Consuming 50g more eggs per day (about one egg) was associated with a 6% increase in overall mortality and a 9% increase in cardiovascular mortality.
2. Is an egg a day healthy? Can't you eat more?
There have been countless studies on eggs, and it seems that the results are "conflicting."
Subsequent to the study, the team's subgroup analysis of geographic regions showed that an increase in egg intake by 50g per day was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease.
Of these, 50 g of eggs per day was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in the US cohort, higher cardiovascular risk in the European cohort, and no cardiovascular risk in the Asian cohort.
Such results may be related to physical differences, dietary habits, nutritional intake and so on.
Previously, a study involving more than 500,000 Chinese published by the team of Professor Li Liming of the School of Public Health of Peking University in "Heart" showed that compared with people who ate 1 egg a day, cardiovascular events were significantly higher than those who basically did not eat eggs. The risk can be reduced by 11%, and the risk of death from cardiovascular events can be reduced by 18%.
So, what should we think of the different research findings?
In recent years, a number of studies have shown that cholesterol intake through eggs does not necessarily affect the level of human cholesterol, and eating eggs in moderation does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The summary and analysis of big data also needs to be based on individual circumstances , such as: conditions are difficult, it is difficult to guarantee three meals a day, and people who are thin and malnourished can eat more eggs to supplement protein, which is economical and affordable.
People who are obese and have cardiovascular diseases such as high blood lipids, eat more eggs every day and consume more cholesterol, which may increase the metabolic burden on the cardiovascular system.
Nutritionist Gu Zhongyi also said: Eat a few eggs and see your own situation.
The general population is enough to eat 1 egg per day . Babies aged 7-12 months are recommended to eat 15-50g eggs per day, and children aged 1-2 can eat half to one egg per day.
If the elderly have malnutrition problems, they can eat 2 eggs a day, but if they have dyslipidemia, they should limit the intake of eggs. There are also special groups , such as those who gain muscle, if the amount of exercise is relatively large, it is no problem to eat 3-4 a day.
In addition, he also pointed out that the key to the scientific concept of nutrition is to pay attention to dietary patterns, not to a certain food . In other words, it is enough to grasp the main dietary structure and pay attention to the dietary pattern composed of multiple foods and habits. There is no need to worry.
Of course, don't eat too many eggs. The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022" recommends a weekly intake of 300 to 350 grams of eggs, that is, no more than 5 to 7 eggs a week.
Three, these three kinds of eggs, or eat less
Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the School of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, once listed 3 healthy ways to eat eggs, and boiled eggs topped the list. In addition, steamed eggs are also a good way to eat eggs.
Eggs are rich in high-quality protein, a variety of nutrients, and are almost the "perfect" nutritious food . But the following kinds of eggs, it is best to eat less:
1. Fried eggs
After the eggs are fried at high temperature, they will oxidize. Under the high temperature environment, it is easy to produce carcinogens. Moreover, fried eggs are very caloric, and it is easy to gain weight if you eat them often.
2. Soft-hearted egg
Many people like to eat soft-boiled eggs, which are half-cooked eggs, in Japanese food stores. However, there are many small holes in the egg shell, which are easily contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli .
If it is not killed by high temperature, it may cause food poisoning after entering the human body. And from a nutritional point of view, raw eggs are not as good as cooked eggs.
3. Hairy eggs
Hairy eggs are a specialty snack in some parts of China, that is, eggs that have not been successfully egged.
Hairy eggs are caused by Salmonella infection of the eggs during hatching of the chicks. Therefore, eating raw eggs is equivalent to eating bacteria. Even after cooking at high temperature, it still contains a lot of bacteria.
In general, how many eggs you eat need to vary from person to person and be considered in the diet. If the daily intake of meat, milk, aquatic products and other foods is more, you can appropriately reduce the intake of eggs.
References
[1] "Can you get gallstones from eating too many eggs? How many do you eat a day? Attention, this kind of people is not suitable for eating...". Popular Science China. 2022-01-21
[2] "How many eggs are appropriate to eat a day? Scientists are still arguing, but I suggest you do it! 》 . Nutritionist Gu Zhongyi. 2022-08-18
[3] "New Year's Day Says "Egg" | Eat Less of These 10 Eggs". China Medical Tribune. 2019-01-01
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