In a recent study from Zhejiang University, scientists found that a person’s intake of whole eggs and cholesterol was linked to a higher risk of death, while intake of egg whites or egg substitutes was linked to a lower death.
Whether the consumption of eggs and cholesterol is detrimental to heart health and longevity is highly debated, and data from large studies are scarce.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from 521,120 participants from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
Participants were aged 50-71 years old, 41.2% women, 91.8% non-Hispanic white, and were recruited from 6 states and 2 cities in the US between 1995 and 1996.
During a mean follow-up of 16 years, 129,328 people died.
The team found whole egg consumption, as reported in a food questionnaire, was strongly linked to higher all-cause mortality.
Every intake of an additional 300 mg of dietary cholesterol intake per day was linked to a 19% higher death risk and each additional half a whole egg per day was linked to a 7% higher death risk.
In contrast, egg whites/substitutes consumption was strongly linked to lower death risk.
Replacing half a whole egg with an equivalent amount of egg whites/substitutes was linked to a reduction of 3% in heart disease mortality.
The findings suggest that people should limit cholesterol intake and replace whole eggs with egg whites/substitutes or other alternative protein sources to improve their heart health and longevity.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about Omega-3 fatty acids and heart health, and results showing Vitamin C, but not vitamin E, linked to a lower risk of heart failure.
The research was published in PLOS Medicine and conducted by Yu Zhang et al.
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