An Egg a Day Won’t Increase Your Risk of Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (along with obesity) is increasing in the US population apace.  And dietary habits seem to be supporting these escalations.  Eggs are usually high on most people’s list of cholesterol-loaded foods, so Harvard researchers undertook a study to assess a possible connection between egg or cholesterol consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes in older persons.  The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

The Cardiovascular Health Study enrolled 3,898 men and women, who each year completed picture-sorted food questionnaires to determine egg intake.  They also provided annual information on any prescription antidiabetic drugs, and fasting blood glucose samples; these data were used to diagnose diabetes.

There were 313 people who developed diabetes during the average 11.3 years’ follow-up.  The number of cases per 1000 person-years was calculated for different groups of subjects, according to their egg consumption: never, 1 egg a month, 1 to 3 eggs a month, 1 to 4 eggs a month, and ‘almost daily’.  The incidence of diabetes for these groups was: 7.39, 6.83, 7.00, 6.72, and 12.20 per 1,000 person-years.  Statistical analyses showed that there was no relationship between the number of eggs consumed and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

It must be noted that the number of subjects who ate one or more eggs daily was small, and the results might have been different if there had been more.  However, as the scientists put it, “In this cohort [group] of older adults with limited egg intake, there was no association between egg consumption or dietary cholesterol and increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes.  Egg consumption was not associated with clinically meaningful differences in fasting glucose or insulin concentrations or measures of insulin resistance . . .”

A good breakfast is a good start to the day, and an egg is often a major part of a good breakfast.  And no, this study was not financed by the American Egg Board.