Are eggs actually good for you based on science?

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Are eggs healthy for us based on science
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Are eggs actually good for you?

With all the buzz about healthy eating, it’s easy to get confused. Especially when the internet is oversaturated with information that doesn’t have any scientific grounds.

Are eggs really healthy, or are they not as good as we thought? And how many eggs per week are healthy for you?

If you’re asking these questions then get ready to crack the mystery wide open! In this blog post, I’ll serve up the science-based facts in an easy-to-digest way, so you can make informed decisions about your food choices.

So, if you’re curious to know if eggs are really healthy then keep reading.

Are eggs good for your heart?

Meta-analysis of egg consumption and stroke risk shows that a decreased risk of stroke was observed for the intake of one to four eggs weekly and an increased risk for the intake of more than six eggs weekly. A significant risk was at an intake of 10 eggs weekly [1].

Another study says that egg consumption was not associated with elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), irrespective of BMI in overall analysis. However, in a sensitivity analysis restricted to cohorts with older ages, there was a 30% higher risk of CHD in people consuming 5-6 eggs/week and no meaningful association in other categories of egg consumption [2].

One more systematic review of 16 studies suggests that egg consumption is not associated with the risk of CVD and cardiac mortality in the general population. However, egg consumption may be associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes among the general population and CVD comorbidity among diabetic patients [3].

Do eggs increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D)?

A pooled analysis of nine US cohorts says that consumption of 2 or more eggs per week was associated with an elevated risk of T2D, whereas infrequent consumption of eggs (up to 1 egg per week) was not related with T2D risk [2].

Are eggs good for high blood pressure?

Meta-analysis of fifteen Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) with a total of 748 participants shows that egg consumption has no significant effects on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults. However, high-quality RCTs with longer durations are needed to further confirm the effects of egg consumption on blood pressure [4].

Do eggs increase the risk of cancer?

One study investigating the effect of cholesterol on the risk of various types of cancer found that cholesterol intake increased the risk of stomach, colon, rectal, pancreas, lung, breast, kidney, bladder, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma [5].

Considering that one egg on average contains about 186 mg of cholesterol, and the desired daily allowance for adults is up to 200 mg (more than 240 mg is considered high cholesterol), then according to the results of the study [5], the risk of developing cancer increases if you eat more than 2 eggs per day (excluding other sources of cholesterol such as meat, shrimp, etc.).

Meta-analysis of 12 studies with 629,453 participants shows that eating eggs may increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer [6].

Another meta-analysis says that eating ≥2 and ≤5 eggs per week increases the risk of developing breast cancer [7].

A pooled analysis of 15 prospective cohort studies examining the effect of processed and unprocessed meat, poultry, seafood, eggs on prostate cancer suggests that eating more than 3 eggs per week (compared to eating less than 1 egg per week) increased the risk of developing prostate cancer [8].

However, one study says that eating eggs does not increase the risk of developing bladder cancer, except for a possible positive relationship with the intake of fried eggs based on the limited number of studies [9].

Are eggs good for cholesterol?

Meta-analysis of 55 studies and 2,772,486 participants shows that high-dietary intake of eggs and cholesterol was associated with all-cause and cancer mortality. Little evidence for elevated risks was seen for intakes below 0.5 egg/day or 250 mg/day of dietary cholesterol [10].

So, are eggs actually good for you?

A systematic review of 24 studies with 11,890,695 participants says that a 1-egg/d increment in egg consumption was significantly associated with a 5.6% higher risk of all-cause mortality, and this association was significant in women, Americans, and in studies with adjustment for hyperlipidemia (hyperlipidemia means you have an elevated level of lipids – like cholesterol and triglycerides – in your blood) [11].

Egg consumption was not significantly associated with CVD, IHD, and stroke mortality. However, the subgroup analyses on egg consumption and CVD mortality showed increased risk in the subgroups of age >60 y, Americans, studies with follow-up duration ≥15 y, and studies adjusted for hyperlipidemia [11].

Summary

So, are eggs good or bad for you according to scientific research? Well, right now it’s hard to say for sure yes or no. Although, some studies say that egg consumption has no significant effects on blood pressure in adults and is not associated with the risk of CVD and cardiac mortality in the general population but eggs may still be bad for our health.

Many studies say that egg consumption may increase the risk of stroke, CVD, type 2 diabetes, all-cause and cancer mortality.

Probably the biggest systematic review I could find including 11,890,695 participants shows that a 1-egg/d increment in egg consumption was significantly associated with a 5.6% higher risk of all-cause mortality, and this association was significant in women, Americans, and in studies with adjustment for hyperlipidemia.

This review also shows increased risk for CVD mortality in the subgroups of age >60 y, Americans, studies with follow-up duration ≥15 y, and studies adjusted for hyperlipidemia.

So, until we know more I would suggest to limit the egg intake to 1 egg/d (or 7 eggs per week) or exclude them altogether if possible.

P.S. If you want to find out how science-based nutrition and diet can prevent the most common diseases, improve your overall health and help you live longer then you can click here to learn more.

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