Diabetes: the egg in question

A recommendation undermined by several studies published in recent years, including this Australian study which concluded that consumption of 12 eggs per week had no effect on the cardiovascular health of pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. But the debate is not yet resolved: a large study conducted by the University of South Australia, in collaboration with China Medical University and Qatar University, today establishes an association between the onset of diabetes … and the consumption of at least one egg a day .

11% of the Chinese are affected

Published by the Cambridge University Press, this study was conducted on more than 8,500 Chinese adults with an average age of 50 between 1991 and 2009. Scientists started with several observations: in China, the traditional diet dominated by cereals and vegetables are increasingly being abandoned in favor of a richer diet consisting of more meat or processed foods. However, we know that this type of food favors the onset of type 2 diabetes. It now affects 11% of the Chinese population, more than in the United States where 9% of Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

And what about egg consumption in all of this? This is one of the variables studied by the researchers, whose goal was “to understand the range of dietary factors that can impact the increasing prevalence of the disease,” explains Dr. Ming Li, epidemiologist and expert. in public health. The egg was not chosen at random: in China the average daily consumption of eggs almost doubled between the beginning and the end of the observed period. In 1991, the Chinese consumed an average of 16 grams of eggs per day; in 2009, 31 grams *.

“What we found,” explains Dr. Ming Li, “is that long-term high consumption of eggs (over 38 grams per day) increased the risk of diabetes in Chinese adults by about 25%.” For those who consumed the equivalent of one egg per day (50 grams), the risk was increased by 60%. And the effect was felt more in women than in men. Should we conclude from this that egg and diabetes don’t mix so well? No, because association does not mean causation. More research is needed.

* In Europe, the average daily consumption of eggs is 33.65 grams, which is less than one egg per day

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Source: Destination Santé