Scrambled, poached or boiled, eggs are a popular breakfast item around the world. Still, the health benefits of the humble egg may not be everything they love, as new research from the University of South Australia shows that excessive egg consumption may increase the risk of diabetes.
The longitudinal study (1991 to 2009), conducted in collaboration with China Medical University and Qatar University, is the first to assess egg consumption in a large sample of Chinese adults. It was found that people who regularly consumed one or more eggs a day (equivalent to 50 grams) increased their risk of diabetes by 60 percent.
“Diet is a known and modifiable factor that contributes to the onset of type 2 diabetes, so it is important to understand the array of dietary factors that can influence the increasing prevalence of the disease,” says Dr. Li.
“While the association between egg eating and diabetes is often debated, this study aimed to assess long-term egg consumption in humans and their risk of developing diabetes, as determined by fasting blood glucose. .
“What we found was that higher long-term egg consumption (more than 38 grams per day) increased the risk of diabetes in Chinese adults by about 25 percent.
“In addition, adults who regularly ate a lot of eggs (more than 50 grams or equivalent to one egg per day) had a 60 percent increased risk of diabetes.”
The effect was also more pronounced in women than in men.
dr. Li says that while these results suggest that higher egg consumption is positively associated with diabetes risk in Chinese adults, more research is needed to explore causal links.
