Regular egg consumption associated with 29 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death, study finds

Egg-cellent news for egg enjoyers — eating eggs nearly every day may drastically lower your chance of dying, new research has found.

Egg-cellent news for egg enjoyers — eating eggs nearly every day may drastically lower your chance of dying, new research has found.

Relatively healthy older adults who eat eggs one to six times per week have a 29 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death and a 15 per cent lower risk of death from any cause, compared to those who rarely or never eat eggs, according to the study published in the journal Nutrients last month.

However, “moderation is really the key”, first author Holly Wild, a PhD candidate and lecturer from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Melbourne’s Monash University, told news.com.au.

“Aligning your intake with the health guidelines, which is about one egg per day. In other studies in adults, above one egg per day tends to increase the risk of health issues and mortality.”

The Monash University researchers compared the self-reported frequency of total egg intake among 8756 adults aged 70 or older as part of the ongoing ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub-study.

They found a striking difference in mortality between those who never or infrequently ate eggs — up to twice a month — and those who ate eggs either weekly or daily.

Eating eggs regularly may reduce risk of death in older people. Picture: Supplied

“Eggs are a nutrient-dense food, they are a rich source of protein and a good source of essential nutrients, such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), choline, and numerous minerals and trace elements,” Ms Wild said in a statement.

“Eggs are also an accessible source of protein and nutrition in older adults, with research suggesting that they are the preferred source of protein for older adults who might be experiencing age-related physical and sensory decline.”

The researchers also explored the relationship between egg consumption and mortality across adults with low, moderate and high-quality diets — finding the effect was even more pronounced among those already eating healthy foods.

“The study found that older adults with a moderate to high diet quality reported a 33 per cent and 44 per cent lower risk of CVD-related death, suggesting that the addition of eggs to moderate and high-quality diets may improve longevity,” the study said.

The current Australian Dietary Guidelines, last updated in 2013, and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend adults with normal cholesterol can eat up to seven eggs per week, however some European countries recommend only three to four eggs per week.

Mollie Duffy from The Happy Little Clucker at Adelaide Central Market. Picture: Emma Brasier

The AHA also supports up to two eggs per day for older adults with normal cholesterol.

“Previous research has observed a higher risk of mortality with egg consumption for those who have high cholesterol. For this reason, we also explored the association between egg consumption and mortality in people with and without dyslipidemia (clinically diagnosed high cholesterol),” Ms Wild said.

“We found a 27 per cent lower risk of CVD-related death for participants with dyslipidemia who consumed eggs weekly, compared to their counterparts that consumed eggs rarely or never, suggesting that in this study cohort, the presence of dyslipidemia does not influence the risk associated with egg consumption.”

Ms Wild said the results suggest that eating up to six eggs a week may reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular related diseases in older adults.

“These findings may be beneficial in the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines for older adults,” she added.

The researchers noted that their findings differed from some prior studies which observed no associations between egg consumption and mortality, and in some cases even showed a higher risk of mortality with increased egg intake.

One meta-analysis showed the results were flipped in studies conducted in Asia versus the United States.

Australia is facing an egg shortage after a bird flu outbreak. Picture: Tertius Pickard/NCA NewsWire

“These associations may be confounded by the diet and lifestyle patterns associated with egg consumers in western countries, who are more likely to have low physical activity and poor dietary quality,” the researchers noted.

“Future research that addresses methodological inconsistencies in the measurement of dietary quality, and controls for potential moderating factors, is needed to better understand this relationship.”

While the study was significant due to its large sample size, the authors noted there were limitations including recall bias as egg consumption was self-reported.

“The type of egg, method preparation, and serving sizes were not captured, affecting the ability to attribute nutritional value of egg consumption within the overall diet, and serving sizes were also not recorded,” they added.

“Future studies would benefit from gathering more granular data on egg consumption.”

It comes as Australian supermarkets continue to face a significant egg shortage due to high demand and the aftermath of a deadly avian influenza outbreak last year at poultry farms across NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

Thousands of chickens were put down as a result of the largest outbreak in Australian history, leading to egg purchase limits being imposed across many stores.

Originally published as Regular egg consumption associated with 29 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death, study finds