Men’s Health and Diabetes Awareness Week
This week – June12-17 – health charity Viva! Health are warning men against egg consumption as part of Men’s Health and Diabetes awareness week in June. Diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer have all been linked to egg consumption.
Prostate cancer affects hundreds of thousands of Brits every year and, according to the science, regular egg consumption can have a serious impact. Men who eat just 2.5 eggs a week increase their risk of prostate cancer by a shocking 81 per cent1. Eggs are a rich source of cholesterol, which is involved in the synthesis of the hormone testosterone and high levels can contribute to cancerous growths in hormone-sensitive tissues such the prostate2.
Eggs are also the richest dietary source of choline and men with the highest choline intake have a 70 per cent increased risk of lethal prostate cancer2. Both cholesterol and choline play a part in cell growth and a plentiful dietary source may help cancer to spread3.
Veronika Powell, Viva! Health campaigner says: “If eggs are a staple in your diet, you should rethink what you’re feeding your body. Egg consumption has been steadily increasing and so have prostate cancer and diabetes rates. You can be putting yourself at serious risk by supplying materials for cancer growth and at the same time blunting your body’s insulin, inviting diabetes.”
According to scientific studies4,5,6, people who eat an egg a day have double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who eat hardly any. Egg consumption affects blood sugar metabolism and increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, mostly due to the cholesterol in eggs6. Cholesterol not only suppresses insulin production (the hormone responsible for sugar metabolism) but can also lower the body’s sensitivity to it.
It’s time to give up eggs, chaps! Kickstart your health with fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, soya foods, almonds and pumpkin seeds – excellent for prostate protection. And you can easily adapt most of your favourite recipes traditionally made with eggs to be egg-free and delicious, such as scrambled eggs, omelettes and meringues.
Viva! Health are offering a FREE download of their guide on eggs and your health: vivahealth.org.uk/eggs to help people make informed choices when it comes to their diet.
Further research into a plant-based diet and its impact on health can be found here.
References
1 Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL and Chan JM. 2011. Egg, red meat, and poultry intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer in the prostate specific antigen-era: incidence and survival. Cancer Prevention Research. 4 (12) 2110-2121.
2 Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Zeisel SH, Willett WC and Chan JM. 2012. Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 96 (4) 855-863.
3 Keum N, Lee DH, Marchand N, Oh H, Liu H, Aune D, Greenwood DC and Giovannucci EL. 2015. Egg intake and cancers of the breast, ovary and prostate: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. British Journal of Nutrition. 21: 1-9.
4 Spence JD, Jenkins DJ and Davignon J. 2010. Dietary cholesterol and egg yolks: not for patients at risk of vascular disease. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 26 (9) e336-339
5 Djoussé L, Gaziano JM, Buring JE and Lee IM. 2009. Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care. 32 (2) 295-300.
6 Lee CT, Liese AD, Lorenzo C, Wagenknecht LE, Haffner SM, Rewers MJ and Hanley AJ. 2014. Egg consumption and insulin metabolism in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). Public Health Nutrition. 17 (7) 1595-1602.
About the author
Veronika Prošek Charvátová
Veronika Prošek Charvátová MSc is a biologist and Viva! Health researcher. Veronika has spent years uncovering the links between nutrition and good health and is an expert on plant-based diets.
