Study: Eating just one egg a day "increases" the risk of developing "diabetes"

A new study by Australian researchers has revealed that eating just one egg a day increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 60%.

The researchers, who studied a sample of 8,545 Chinese adults, found a positive correlation between higher egg consumption and their blood sugar levels.

But previous studies had indicated that eating eggs could prevent diabetes, adding a bewildering mix of the scientific literature to the controversy.

And the new research suggests that regular consumption of an egg a day - whether boiled or fried - makes you more vulnerable to the condition that occurs when your blood sugar is too high.

Study author Dr. Ming Li, at the University of South Australia, said the British newspaper "Daily Mail" said that the relationship between egg intake and diabetes is often a subject of debate. However, this study aims to evaluate long-term egg consumption of eggs and the risk of diabetes. .

The study focused particularly on people in China, who had gone through a transition phase away from the traditional diet that included grains and vegetables, to a more processed diet that included greater amounts of meat, snacks and eggs, according to Dr. Ming Li.

And from 1991 to 2009, the number of people eating eggs in China nearly doubled - from 16 grams in 1991-1993, to 26 grams in 2000-2004, and 31 grams in 2009.

In the study, Dr Li and her team analyzed data from adults who attended the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1991 to 2009.

The participants' egg consumption habits were recorded, while diabetes was diagnosed based on a 2009 fasting blood sugar test.

The team found that long-term egg consumption - more than 38 grams a day - increased the risk of diabetes among Chinese adults by about 25 percent.

But adults who ate more than 50 grams, or the equivalent of one egg a day, had a 60% increased risk of developing diabetes.

The link was also more pronounced in women than in men, indicating that women are more likely to develop diabetes if they eat eggs regularly.

Lee said more research is needed to explore the causal relationships - whether they can prove that eating eggs is the cause of diabetes.

"To beat diabetes, a multifaceted approach is needed that includes not only research, but also a clear set of guidelines to help inform and guide the public," she said.

And last year, researchers in Finland found the exact opposite - that eating one egg a day may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, the authors, from the University of Eastern Finland, admitted that the relationship between the two workers remains unclear.

And in 2015, researchers from the same university found that egg consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as lower blood sugar levels.