New research by experts from the University of Eastern Finland has found that a higher intake of eggs, about one egg a day , can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who eat this food with less frequently.
The study analyzed 239 blood serum samples from volunteers who participated in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) in eastern Finland.
The samples were analyzed in four groups: subjects with the highest consumption of eggs (an average of one egg per day); a lower intake of eggs (an average of two eggs per week), those who ate eggs and developed type 2 diabetes; and those who remained healthy and acted as a control group.
Participants were followed for an average of 19.3 years.
The findings, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research , showed that blood samples from men who ate an egg a day included certain lipid molecules positively linked to the blood profile of the group of healthy men who remained free of type 2 diabetes.
Certain molecules in the blood samples of men who developed diabetes were also positively associated with those found in the group with the lowest egg consumption.
Experts found that a higher level of the amino acid tyrosine in the blood predicted an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Previous findings from the same study also suggested that eating about one egg a day was linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes among middle-aged men.
“The purpose of the present study was to explore the possible compounds that could explain this association through the use of undirected metabolomics, a technique that allows a broad profile of chemicals in a sample”, comments Stefania Noerman, leader of the work.
Is it bad or not to take so many eggs?
However, previously medicine has discouraged a high consumption of eggs due to their high cholesterol level. On the other hand, eggs are a rich source of nutrients that are beneficial to health, and opinion has been divided on their possible health effects.
The current findings suggest that there are potential metabolites that may explain how egg consumption is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, although the researchers note that more studies are needed.
“Although it is too early to draw causal conclusions, we now have some suggestions for certain egg-related compounds that may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. More detailed research is needed with cell models and intervention studies. in humans using modern techniques such as metabolomics, necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the physiological effects of egg ingestion “, concludes Noerman.
Referencia: Stefania Noerman et al. Metabolic Profiling of High Egg Consumption and the Associated Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Middle‐Aged Finnish Men, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2018). DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201800605
