One Egg a Day Isn’t Really So Harmful

One egg a day is about the upper limit from a health point of view, according to data from the Physician’s Health Study. It was shown that the risk of dying over the next 20 years was increased by 23%; for diabetics, it was doubled. Now the egg marketing industry has come to the egg’s defence.

A study published in the journal Risk Analysis compares the contribution made by egg consumption with that of other coronary artery risk factors (e.g. smoking, a poor diet, lack of exercise, and excess alcohol intake). The data came from another large study, the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). The researchers found that the combined modifiable lifestyle factors account for less than 40% of the mortality from cardiovascular disease, and that eating one egg or more a day accounts for less than 1% of the risk. To quote one of the investigators, “The health community should focus on meaningful recommendations when it comes to preventing heart diseiase, like smoking and obesity, not egg comsumption.”  This seems a reasonable conclusion to draw, even if it’s one reached based on a study funded by the Egg Nutrition Center. But maybe limit your egg consumption to less than 7-a-week, just to be on the safe side . . . And I promise not to write about eggs again.