New findings in the nutrition science field show that consumption of eggs is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease or stroke, according to the findings of a new meta-analysis from the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Meta-analysis is quantitative statistical analysis that is applied to separate but similar experiments of different and usually independent researchers. It involves pooling experimental data to test the statistical significance. Foodnavigator.com reports that a clinical review led by Professor Liegang Liu of China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology and published by the BMJ found no significant association between egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke.
The meta-analysis included data from eight separate studies involving 263,938 participants for CHD and 210,404 participants for stroke. In all studies, egg consumption was measured by food frequency questionnaires and high consumption was classified as up to one egg per day. Among the participants, 5,847 cases of CHD and 7,579 cases of stroke were documented during the follow-up periods. These numbers indentified no significant association between egg consumption and risk of CHD or stroke. However, Liu and his research team did notice that subgroup analysis suggests there may be a risk associated among individuals suffering from diabetes. The team found that those with diabetes and high egg consumption had a significantly elevated risk of CHD. Liu states that the subgroup analysis results should be interpreted with caution, since only a few studies focused solely on diabetic participants.About the author: Lisa Mapel is an Extension Program Assistant and Better Living for Texans educator with the Brown County AgriLife Extension office. Lisa may be reached at 325.646.0386.
