Eggs and T2D

Egg consumption and risk of incident type 2 diabetes in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study¹,²,³

1. Jyrki K Virtanen⇑, 
2. Jaakko Mursu, 
3. Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen, 
4. Heli EK Virtanen, and
5. Sari Voutilainen

↵2 Supported by the University of Eastern Finland.

• ↵3 Address correspondence to JK Virtanen, University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, PO Box 1627, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland. E-mail: jyrki.virtanen@uef.fi.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing around the world. Eggs are a major source of cholesterol, which has been associated with elevated blood glucose and an increased risk of T2D. However, there are limited and conflicting data from prospective population studies on the association between egg consumption and risk of T2D.

Objective: We investigated the association between egg consumption and risk of incident T2D in middle-aged and older men from eastern Finland.

Design: The study included 2332 men aged 42–60 y in 1984–1989 at the baseline examinations of the prospective, population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Dietary intakes were assessed with 4-d food records at baseline. Incident T2D was assessed by self-administered questionnaires; by fasting and 2-h oral-glucose-tolerance-test blood glucose measurement at re-examination rounds 4, 11, and 20 y after baseline; and by record linkage to a hospital discharge registry and reimbursement register of diabetes medication expenses. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to estimate associations with the risk of incident T2D. Associations with the metabolic risk markers at baseline and at the 4-y examinations were analyzed by ANCOVA.

Results: 

Conclusion: Higher egg intake was associated with a lower risk of T2D in this cohort of middle-aged and older men.

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