Eating eggs increases the risk of heart disease: Study

Tucking into a breakfast of bacon and eggs may be a favourite pass time for some on a lazy weekend but new research has revealed the tasty food could be doing more harm than good.

A study published in medical journal JAMA found eating three or more eggs a week increases the chance of developing a heart disease, putting many people’s lives at risk.

Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago discovered the link between the two while analysing data from six US study groups which included more than 29,000 people.

The study participants’ eating habits were followed for on average 17 and a half years with shocking results revealing just how harmful the food can be.

Alarmingly a total of 5,400 cardiovascular events occurred during that time period, with 1,302 fatal and non-fatal strokes, 1,897 incidents of fatal and non-fatal heart failure and 113 other heart disease deaths.

It was discovered eating an additional 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day was associated with a 3.2 per cent higher risk of cardio vascular disease and a 4.4 per cent higher risk of early death. Whereas consuming an additional half egg per day was associated with 1.1 per cent higher risk of the disease.

Read more: Eating eggs can reduce the risk of stroke: Study

The results from this latest study are a stark contrast from research released last year which found eating an egg a day could do wonders for your health.

The study undertaken by the Peaking University Health Center in China found people who eat an egg daily reduce their risk of these diseases compared to eating no eggs at all.

What’s more, the research claimed eating an egg a day could reduce the risk of stroke, which is often linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), by 26 per cent.

Researchers believed eggs could be the key to reducing strokes because they contain not only dietary cholesterol, but also high-quality protein, an array of vitamins and bioactive components including phospholipids and carotenoids.

The study found daily consumption appeared to lower the risk of CVD. An egg a day had a 26 per cent lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke, a 28 per cent lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke death and an 18 per cent lower risk of CVD death.

“The present study finds that there is an association between moderate level of egg consumption (up to one egg/day) and a lower cardiac event rate,” the research authors said in a statement. “Our findings contribute scientific evidence to the dietary guidelines with regard to egg consumption for the healthy Chinese adult.”

What are your thoughts on the research? Do you eat many eggs?