Are eggs good for you?
Catherine J. Andersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, recently published a study in the journal Nutrients, providing a broader perspective on nutritional outcomes. nutrition of egg consumption in young men in good health.
Most current research articles evaluating the health impact of eggs tend to focus on a more limited range of standard clinical measures, examining biomarkers of heart disease, diabetes, and heart disease. glucose, body composition, inflammation, immune health and anemia separately, rather than all together. . People participating in these studies also tend to have pre-existing risk factors for chronic disease. They also often follow additional dietary changes, such as weight loss plans. These factors may complicate the interpretation of the effects of eggs on health markers in the general population or healthy young adults. Andersen and colleagues conducted a more comprehensive, clinically focused study, looking at many of the health measures that doctors consider during routine checkups. “This helps provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of egg consumption in a young, healthy population using standard and common clinical biomarkers,” Andersen said. “We think this allows for better translation to the public. »
The study compared the consumption of no eggs, three egg whites per day, and three eggs per day. Participants can prepare eggs however they want. Andersen found that blood samples showed a significant increase in choline, an essential nutrient found in egg yolks, when participants ate whole eggs daily. Choline consumption is associated with an increase in a metabolite called TMAO, which has been linked to heart disease. But Andersen's research showed that TMAO did not change in this group of subjects despite increased choline intake.
“That's the best-case scenario,” Andersen said. “We want to have high amounts of this important nutrient without increasing this metabolite that has the potential to promote cardiovascular disease. »
The researchers also did not see any adverse changes in inflammation or blood cholesterol levels. They also found that eating whole eggs had less negative impact on markers associated with diabetes risk than eating egg whites. Overall, participants had higher nutrient density in their diets when they ate whole eggs, in addition to higher hematocrit - a measure of the density of red blood cells in the blood, which can drop during the day. case of anemia. “Our consideration of the full range of measures allows for a better assessment of the potential overall effects of egg consumption,” Andersen said. “I think this is important because if you see less positive change in one marker, you may see, perhaps in context, beneficial changes in other markers. »
The study included both male and female participants. About half of the participants were taking combined oral contraceptives. This allowed Andersen to examine potential differences between the nutritional outcomes of women taking the drug and those not taking the drug.
“These are very common medications, and there is a lack of research looking at the impact of taking these medications on how people might respond to dietary intervention,” Andersen said.
Although not all were statistically significant, the researchers observed some differences within this subgroup.
Blood samples taken from participants who did not take the drug showed higher increases in the ratio of total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, considered a risk factor for heart disease.
“It was the opposite of what we expected,” Andersen said. “Because hormonal contraceptives are often associated with adverse metabolic changes. But in this case, it seems to have more of a protective effect in response to eggs.
Participants who did not take the drug also had higher blood monocyte counts than participants who took the drug. Monocytes are part of the body's first line of immune defense. Interestingly, regardless of drug intake, changes in clinical immune profiles induced by whole egg consumption were correlated with several clinical HDL measures. This article is the first in a series in which Andersen investigates the mechanistic pathways involved in the egg consumption and HDL-immune relationship. Other questions addressed by his lab include the composition of HDL particles and their ability to regulate immune cell activity, as it has recently been discovered that HDL can carry cargo. hundreds of proteins, not just cholesterol. Andersen also plans to explore differences in the nutritional outcomes of egg consumption in older and younger participants.
“Nutrition Trends is about establishing a framework to deliver precise or personalized nutritional recommendations and explore differences in age, gender, genetics, microbiome composition,” Andersen said. animals, etc., may influence an individual's response to a dietary intervention. “Certainly, this is something my lab and others in my department are starting to look at more.”
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