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Egg warning for type 2 diabetics
Diet & Fitness Date November 21, 2008


Eating more than a couple of eggs a week increases the risk of developing diabetes and makes the condition worse in those who already have it, a major study has found.

Australian specialists are urging type 2 diabetics and people at risk of developing the blood glucose condition to limit their egg intake after a US study found them to be detrimental to their health.

Specialists at Harvard Medical School in Boston found eating an egg every day - a habit for about five per cent of people - may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 60 per cent.

Women were most susceptible, with females consuming seven eggs or more a week increasing their risk by 77 per cent.

Advertisement Eating just one egg a week carried no increased risk, Dr Michael Gaziano wrote in the journal Diabetes Care.

The study, the first of its kind, made the conclusions after tracking the egg-eating habits of almost 57,000 men and women over two decades.

Dr Alan Barclay, manager of human nutrition at Diabetes Australia-NSW, said the results were consistent with the advice it has provided for some years that people with diabetes should have moderate egg consumption.

"The findings show that eating eggs everyday presents a substantial risk of type 2 diabetes," Dr Barclay said.

"To limit their risk, people with type 2 diabetes and those trying to prevent diabetes should not eat more that two or three eggs a week."

He said people wanting to include eggs in their diet should eat eggs high in Omega-3 fats.

Eggs are a good source of vitamins, proteins and other nutrients, but they are also rich in cholesterol, which in high amounts can clog arteries and raise the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

The same research team reported in April that middle-aged men who ate eggs daily increased their risk of earlier death from heart attack or cardiovascular disease.

AAP


http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/egg-warning-for-type-2-diabetics-20090403-9mgz.html#ixzz38xTbyInQ