Eggs have always been a popular food, but are they good or bad for your health? A recent study by scientists from Zhejiang University suggests that eating whole eggs and cholesterol may increase your risk of dying early, while eating egg whites or egg substitutes might help you live longer.
The study, published in PLOS Medicine, was led by researcher Yu Zhang and colleagues. It focused on a long-standing debate about whether eggs are harmful to heart health and overall longevity.
Surprisingly, while eggs are a common part of diets worldwide, there hasn’t been much data from large studies on how they affect health in the long term.
To find answers, the researchers analyzed information from over half a million people who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. These participants, aged 50 to 71, were recruited from six U.S. states and two cities between 1995 and 1996.
Most of them (91.8%) were non-Hispanic white, and about 41% were women. The scientists tracked their health over an average period of 16 years, during which 129,328 participants passed away.
When the researchers looked at the participants’ diets, they found some clear patterns. People who ate more whole eggs, as reported in their food questionnaires, were more likely to die early.
Specifically, for every additional 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol consumed per day, the risk of death increased by 19%.
To put this in perspective, one large egg contains about 186 milligrams of cholesterol. Eating just half an extra egg daily was linked to a 7% higher risk of death from any cause.
On the other hand, the study found that egg whites and egg substitutes seemed to have the opposite effect. People who ate more of these alternatives had a lower risk of dying.
Replacing half a whole egg with the same amount of egg whites or egg substitutes reduced the risk of dying from heart disease by 3%.
What does this mean for everyday life? The researchers suggest that people should think carefully about their cholesterol intake. Since whole eggs are high in cholesterol, it might be a good idea to limit how many you eat.
Instead, you could try using egg whites, egg substitutes, or other protein-rich foods as healthier alternatives. This simple change could help improve heart health and increase life expectancy.
The findings are important because they provide one of the largest sets of data yet on how eggs and cholesterol impact health. However, the study also highlights that not all parts of the egg are the same.
While the yolk is rich in cholesterol, the egg white offers protein without the same risks. This makes egg whites a smart choice for those looking to protect their heart and live longer.
In conclusion, if you enjoy eggs, you don’t need to avoid them entirely. But choosing egg whites or substitutes more often than whole eggs could be a step toward better health. With such a simple change, you might improve your chances of living a longer, healthier life.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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