Eating Eggs Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Study Says

Type 2 diabetes has become epidemic in the United States and is increasing around the developed world. It has been shown by numerous  research studies that  lifestyle factors such as nutrition and  exercise play a major role in the development of this disease.

This report from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, at the University of Eastern Finland, finds  that egg consumption was associated with lower blood glucose levels, and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In this study the dietary habits of over 2,300 men between the ages of 42 and 60 years were analyzed. The data revealed that men who ate approximately four eggs per week had a 37 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than men who only ate approximately one egg per week.

 Prior population-based studies have been inconclusive regarding any association between egg consumption and type 2 diabetes . Egg consumption has either been found to cause an elevated risk, or no association was found. The authors suggest that a possible explanation is that unlike in many other populations, such as in the United States, egg consumption in Finland is not strongly associated with other health risks such as obesity, physical inactivity or the consumption of other unhealthful fats, and processed meats.

My own interpretation of this would be that the explanation just mentioned above is valid, and furthermore, eating eggs may be associated with an overall lower carbohydrate diet. The participants in this study who did not eggs for breakfast for example, may very well have been eating  more of the common high carbohydrate breakfasts such as cereals, bread products and fruit juices. Many studies in the United States and elsewhere over the past few years have supported the notion that there has been an incorrect emphasis for years on lowering fat in the diet. Excess carbohydrate consumption seems to be the primary driver  of health risks such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

This study provides still more accumulating evidence for health professionals to correctly recommend eggs as a healthy part of one’s diet.

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