To commemorate Valentine’s Day, I like to talk about the health benefits of certain foods, like chocolate and rose hips. So today, let’s talk about another food that’s great for the heart. And it happens to be something I recommend eating every day…
Eggs.
Dozens of studies over the years show people who regularly eat eggs live longer, healthier lives. And now, a brand-new study has found a link between eating eggs and lower Type II diabetes risk. Plus, this study used an innovative scientific approach to come to their findings…
How many eggs a day keep the doctor away?
For the new study, conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, researchers took blood samples from nearly 240 middle-aged men — testing them for the presence of key metabolites produced when humans eat eggs. (Metabolites are small molecules that form in the body during the processes of metabolism.)
Researchers then looked at who developed Type II diabetes over the 19-year follow-up period.
Specifically, they found that participants who ate one or more eggs a day had more healthy lipids (blood fats) that are associated with lower Type II diabetes risk. On the other hand, participants who consumed fewer eggs had higher levels of several biomolecules associated with a higher Type II diabetes risk, including the amino acid tyrosine.
This study was important in three key ways…
First, it clearly found a strong association between higher weekly egg intake and lower Type II diabetes risk. This finding makes perfect sense, as eggs contain many bioactive constituents that help manage blood sugar and metabolism.
Second, this particular study opted not to take the easier route and use a sloppy food questionnaire to determine egg consumption.
Questionnaires ask people to remember exactly what they’ve eaten over the past 24 hours or so, or another period of time. And as you can imagine, they’re notoriously inaccurate — due to the participants not remembering — or not wanting to divulge — everything they’ve eaten.
By comparison, this new egg study used a new, advanced, scientific approach called “metabolomics,” which measured specific biomolecules in the blood. It’s important to note that these biomolecules only get into the blood by eating eggs. So, it’s more like measuring a “food blood level.” And studies that use this approach are much more accurate and precise.
The third key takeaway from this study involves cholesterol…
Nutrient-rich foods with cholesterol support good health
This study found that eating whole foods with cholesterol doesn’t harm your health. On the contrary — it promotes good health. This finding makes sense — as every cell in your body needs cholesterol.
Of course, for decades, the government erroneously recommended that we avoid healthy, whole foods — like eggs, dairy, meat, and certain seafood — because they contain cholesterol. And this disastrous advice has undoubtedly contributed to today’s chronic disease epidemics, like Type II diabetes and heart disease.
But, as dozens of previous studies show, eating nutrient-dense foods with cholesterol doesn’t affect blood levels of cholesterol. (The body breaks down cholesterol in the foods you eat during digestion.) And in any case — cholesterol in your blood doesn’t actually affect heart disease risk. In fact, most people who suffer heart attacks have normal cholesterol!
The hopeful future for Type II diabetes patients
In the end, I hope to see more researchers use this modern “metabolomics” technique for dietary assessment.
(I actually worked with some of the researchers from Finland who did this study while I was at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) during the mid-1980s. Even back then, outside the U.S., they were taking open-minded, innovative, scientific approaches to studying chronic disease. So, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me that they pioneered the use of this new scientific approach.)
Perhaps soon, we we’ll finally begin to reverse some long-standing myths about diet. And perhaps “break a few eggs” in the process!
However, I won’t hold my breath that the mainstream press will catch on to the real science anytime soon. In fact, while preparing this Daily Dispatch, I came across some mainstream reports on the study stating, “Eggs remain one of the most controversial food items.” (Yet another example of why you can’t rely on mainstream reporting for your health information…)
So, if you haven’t already, put eggs back on your daily menu. And cut out all the processed carbs and sugars, which are the real culprits when it comes to Type II diabetes.
For more uncommonly effective, commonsense strategies to prevent — and even reverse — Type II diabetes, check out my online learning protocol, the Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes. To learn more about this special online learning tool, or to enroll today, simply click here.
Sources:
“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:e1800605. doi:org/10.1002/mnfr.201800605
“Eating Eggs Doesn’t Raise the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Study Suggests.” Everyday Health, 1/17/2019. (everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/diet/eating-egg-per-day-doesnt-raise-type-2-diabetes-risk-study/)