What is cardiovascular disease?
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to any conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. It is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, with coronary heart disease and strokes among the main contributors. Like many medical conditions, the risk of CVD can be lowered by living a healthy lifestyle.
CVD is typically linked to a build-up of fatty deposits within the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, as well as blood clots.
It is widely known that the risk of these can be minimised by reducing the amount of fatty food you eat and increasing intake of fruits and vegetables.
However, a study has revealed that the consumption of eggs could be key to preventing CVD.
Research, published in Nutrients journal, concluded that eating between one and three eggs a week “seemed to protect” against the disease.
As part of the study, 3,042 men and women from Athens, Greece, were enrolled in a trial.
They filled out surveys on how many eggs they ate per week, either as a whole or as part of a recipe.
10 years later a CVD evaluation was conducted, finding that 317 of them had actually experienced CVD in that time.
It found that among people who ate one or fewer eggs a week there was a 18 percent incidence rate of CVD.
For people who ate one to four eggs a week this incidence rate was nine percent, and those who ate four to seven a week had an eight percent incidence risk.
It stated that participants who ate one to three eggs a week had a 60 percent lower risk of developing CVD, and those who ate four to seven had a 75 percent lower risk.
However, when considering the potential saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake, it was concluded that eating one to three eggs a week was safer.
“In the case of higher SFA consumption, only one to three eggs a week seemed to protect against CVD.”
The study authors acknowledged how the discourse around eggs and health can be “controversial”.
“Eggs remain one of the most “controversial” foods due to their saturated fatty acid (3 g/100 g) and cholesterol content (370mg/100g) along with their composition, which is rich in high quality protein, iron, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and carotenoids,” the paper said.
It warned that egg consumption should be matched with a healthy diet in order to see the benefits.
“In the context of rather contradicting literature, our study with a sample of individuals of Mediterranean origin suggests that eggs may even have a protective role in CVD onset, yet only in the case of adherence to a generally healthy dietary pattern characterised by low consumption of saturated fatty acids overall,” it said.
“This is in line with the findings from a cohort study implemented in Italy, where the aggravating effect of increased egg consumption was principally mediated by the overall intake of dietary cholesterol.”
The study concluded: “A consumption level of two to four eggs/week is the current recommendation of most health bodies and international guidelines.
“The findings presented here seem to be overall in line with this recommendation.
“In addition to this, our study—in line with the most recent literature—suggest an increase in this limit in an adult population who follow a plant-based dietary pattern with low saturated fatty acid content.”
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