Are eggs good for you?
Scientists have been studying this controversial issue for years. Some have found that egg consumption increases LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and inflammatory markers associated with heart disease and diabetes, while others emphasize the benefits of egg consumption due to the nutrient density of eggs.
Katherine J. Andersen, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resourcesrecently published a study. nutrients This provides a broader perspective on the nutritional impact of egg consumption in healthy young people.
Most existing research papers evaluating the health effects of eggs are more limited in scope, examining biomarkers for heart disease, diabetes, body composition, inflammation, immune health, and anemia individually rather than all together. tend to focus on standard clinical measurements of. . Participants in these studies also tend to have pre-existing risk factors for chronic disease. They usually also follow additional dietary changes such as weight loss plans. These factors can complicate interpretation of how eggs affect health markers in the general or young, healthy population.
Andersen and his colleagues conducted a more comprehensive, clinically focused study that considered many health measurements that doctors would look at during a routine physical exam.
“This will help provide a comprehensive picture of the effects of egg consumption in young, healthy populations using standard, routine clinical biomarkers,” Andersen says. “We believe this will allow for greater translation to the general public.”
This study compared not eating eggs, eating three egg whites per day, and eating three whole eggs per day. Participants were able to cook the eggs any way they wanted.
Dr. Andersen found that when participants ate whole eggs every day, their blood samples showed a significant increase in choline, an essential nutrient found in egg yolks. Choline intake is associated with an increase in a metabolite known as TMAO, which is associated with heart disease. However, Andersen’s study found that despite the increase in choline, TMAO remained unchanged in this population.
“This is kind of the best-case scenario,” Andersen said. “We want to get plenty of this important nutrient, but we don’t want to increase this metabolite that can promote cardiovascular disease.”
The researchers also found no harmful changes in inflammation or blood cholesterol levels. They also found that eating whole eggs had less of a negative impact on markers associated with diabetes risk than eating egg whites.
Overall, participants who consumed whole eggs had higher hematocrits, a measure of the density of red blood cells in the blood (which can be lower in anemia), as well as higher nutrient density in their diets. Ta.
“The fact that we were looking at a comprehensive range of measurements allows us to better assess the overall impact of expected egg intake,” says Andersen. “I think this is important because if the change in one marker is not very positive, perhaps in some context, we can see beneficial changes in other markers.”
This study included both male and female participants. Approximately half of the female participants were taking combined oral contraceptives. This allowed Andersen to examine potential nutritional differences between women who were on the pill and those who weren’t.
“These are very common drugs, but there is a lack of research examining how taking these drugs affects response to dietary therapy,” Andersen says.
The researchers observed some differences in this subgroup, although not all were statistically significant.
Blood samples from female participants who were not taking the pill had a greater increase in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, which is considered a risk factor for heart disease.
“It was the opposite of what we expected,” Andersen says. “This is because hormonal contraceptives often come with adverse metabolic effects. But in this case, the protective effect on eggs seemed to be stronger.”
Female participants not taking the pill had a greater increase in blood monocytes compared to participants taking the pill. Monocytes are part of the body’s first line of immune defense. Interestingly, changes in the clinical immune profile with whole egg consumption correlated with many clinical HDL measurements, regardless of drug use.
This paper is the first in a series in which Andersen considers mechanistic pathways related to the relationship between egg intake, HDL, and immunity. Other questions her lab is working on include the composition of HDL particles and the recent discovery that HDL can carry hundreds of proteins, not just cholesterol, which may help her regulate immune cell activity. Contains the capabilities of HDL particles. Professor Andersen also plans to investigate the differences in the nutritional effects of eating eggs in older and younger participants.
“Trends in the field of nutrition are establishing a framework for making accurate or individualized nutritional recommendations, and are establishing a framework for making accurate or individualized nutritional recommendations that will help explain how differences such as age, gender, genetics, and microbiome composition influence an individual’s response to dietary interventions. Andersen says, “Certainly, that’s something that others in my lab and in my department are starting to consider more.”
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