Over the past 40 years, there has been significant debate about the nutritional value of eggs. In the 1970s, the public was told to reduce dietary cholesterol in order to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Since eggs are the most concentrated source of dietary cholesterol, the public was cautioned against consuming more than 1 egg per day.
Soon, the association between dietary cholesterol and heart disease was questioned heavily, and research indicated that eggs were only harmful when consumed in large quantities, at more than 1 egg per day. Fast forward 40 years. Eggs are now making a comeback as nutritious food once again. Current scientific opinion suggests that it is no longer necessary to limit dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day (the equivalent of about 1.5 eggs per day), because there is a weak association between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. Egg NutritionIn essence, there are two parts of an egg which are distinctly different from each other: the yolk and the white. The yolk is a storehouse of cholesterol, saturated fat, vitamins and minerals. One egg yolk contains 55 calories 4.5 0 grams of total fat, 1.6 0 grams of saturated fat, 184 milligrams of cholesterol, and small amounts of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B6, Iron and vitamin B12. The egg white is mainly a storehouse of protein. One egg white contains 17 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, zero 0 grams of carbohydrate, and about 4 grams of protein. In addition, the egg white contains no appreciable vitamins or minerals. Eggs and Organ HealthAre eggs safe or unsafe to eat? Most importantly, how do eggs affect your risk for long-term disease, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer? In order to answer these questions, we turn to the research. Most importantly, we must evaluate eggs from multiple perspectives, rather than simply focusing only on the connection between egg consumption and heart disease. All Cause Mortality Findings from the 2008 Physicians Health Study found that consumption of more than one egg per day resulted in a 23% increase in the risk of death from any cause (1–3). Diabetes Adults with diabetes (type 1 or type 2) are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease or stroke than nondiabetic adults. The reason for this is simple: elevated blood glucose increases the risk for all forms of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, angina, and coronary artery disease (4). The 2008 Physicians Health Study found that people with diabetes significantly elevate their risk for all cause mortality after eating about five eggs per week (1–3). Arterial Plaque Recent studies have linked egg consumption with an increase in arterial plaque. For this outcome, researchers found that three eggs per week significantly increased arterial plaque formation in carotid arteries (5), significantly elevating the risk for heart attack. Prostate Cancer Studies have also shown that eating more than 2.5 eggs per week increases the risk for the development of prostate cancer by more than 81% (6,7). Colon Cancer Overall analysis of more than 44 studies performed in over 400,000 subjects found that the risk for gastrointestinal cancers increased linearly with increasing egg consumption. The authors found that the strongest correlation was found between egg consumption and colon cancer. Specifically, eating more than 5 eggs per week increased colon cancer risk by 42% (8). Research suggests that eggs promote the development of prostate cancer because they are high in cholesterol and choline (9–11). Cholesterol is elevated in tumor cells in all tissues, and increased blood cholesterol influences the ability of tumor cells to replicate and migrate. In other words, increasing blood cholesterol promotes tumor growth and metastases (12–14). Choline is also elevated in tumor cells, and is metabolized in the large intestine into pro-inflammatory compounds that may promote cancer development (15–17). So How Many Eggs Are OK to Eat? Given this research, my recommendation for egg consumption is to refute the message that eggs can be eaten liberally. The research strongly supports that the cholesterol, saturated fat and choline in eggs promotes disease, so my recommendation is to keep egg consumption to a minimum. If you are currently living with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer OR if your parents lived with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer, limit your intake of eggs to less than 2 per week. If you are an active individual with no family history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer, you can eat up to 3 eggs per week.
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If you’re a night owl, you might be interested to know that your late-night eating habits could impact your health — and not in a good way. Pretty much everyone at one point or another has had a late dinner or indulged in some snacking while watching television or catching up on the day’s work. Some people don’t sleep well at night and may turn to food to try to help them catch some shut-eye. While staying up until the wee hours and noshing may be a routine for you, it might be time to take a second look at these habits that perhaps aren’t so healthy.
Eating late at night: Can affect your weight. Contrary to popular belief, eating late at night doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll gain weight. What dictates weight gain is how many calories you consume over the course of the entire day, not necessarily when you consume those calories. However, you could end up gaining weight based on the types of foods you may be reaching for as you catch up on Game of Thrones. Potato chips, cheese and crackers, ice cream, cookies… all of these are calorie-laden treats that are surefire ways to pack on the pounds compared to snacks that you might choose during the day: fruit, yogurt, nuts, etc. In addition, it’s easy to go overboard with food portions at night, especially when you get caught up in television or work. Mindless eating kicks in and before you know it, you’ve polished off that bag of Doritos. Can impact your blood sugars. What and how much you eat can directly affect your blood sugars both overnight and the next morning, especially if your snack choices are mostly carbohydrate foods, like crackers, chips, or fruit. Your diabetes medicine may not completely “cover” excessive eating at night and you may be unpleasantly surprised the next morning when you check your blood sugar and find that it’s higher than desired. There are ways to prevent those morning high readings: Choose lower-carb snacks, such as nuts, lower-fat cheese, raw veggies, or a hard-boiled egg, for example. Some carbohydrate may be OK to eat, such as 15–20 grams-worth (a small piece of fruit or 6 ounces of light-style yogurt, for instance). Otherwise, if you prefer to eat later at night, talk with your doctor about adjusting your medication to better handle late-night eating. Might raise the risk of breast cancer. A new study published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that nighttime eating may raise the risk of breast cancer, as well as Type 2 diabetes. The authors of the study found that fasting overnight is necessary for overall health and helps the body metabolism work in sync with the body’s sleep-wake cycles. In this study, for every three extra hours of fasting at night, women were 20% less likely to have high blood sugars and a lower risk of illness. Previous research has shown that women with Type 2 diabetes have a 23% higher risk of getting breast cancer; night-shift workers also have a higher risk of breast cancer. Of course, this is a single study, so more work needs to be done in this area. However, it’s certainly food for thought, especially if you’re at risk for getting Type 2 diabetes or breast cancer. Raises the risk for acid reflux. There’s no surprise here: Chowing down after everyone else has gone to bed may seem like a good idea, but there’s a price to pay: heartburn. Lying down after eating (at any time of the day or night) can cause acid from the stomach to “backwash” into the esophagus, causing pain, burning, and shortness of breath. Continued episodes of heartburn may indicate gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which, if not treated, can lead to further problems over time. If you do eat at night, choose lower-fat, nonacidic foods, watch your portions, and allow at least two hours to pass before lying down. Can affect learning and memory. A study done with mice who were fed when they should have been sleeping showed that they had extreme difficulty in remembering what they had previously learned; they also had trouble with object recognition. Scientists believe the same issues can occur in humans, and it’s based on — again — the disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. Once your internal clock gets messed up, a whole host of problems, including learning and memory troubles, can set in. Tips to deal with midnight munching • Review your schedule and see if you can find a way to get to bed earlier. Consider getting up earlier instead of staying up late. • Distract yourself. If you’re grabbing something to eat because of boredom, go for a walk, read a book, take a bath or better yet…go to bed. • Choose healthier, lower-fat snacks. Try to keep fatty, tempting snacks out of sight (or don’t buy them at all). • If you must eat a late meal or snack, eat it only in the kitchen or dining room, not while working on the computer or watching television. • Don’t skimp on calories earlier in the day. Skipping breakfast and grabbing only a salad for lunch are guarantees that you’ll overeat at night. • Eat plenty of protein and fiber at dinner. Both of these nutrients can fill you up so that you may be less likely to eat later in the evening. Adopted from Diabetes Self Management(Amy Chambell) |