Eat four eggs a week to prevent diabetes

Eating an egg every other day may keep diabetes at bay, claim researchers.

Regular consumption cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a third, according to a new study.

A second study found similar health benefits from eating high fat dairy foods, such as cheese.

However, the latest research is believed to be the first to show eggs offer a specific benefit in reducing type 2 diabetes – although high consumption might be a marker of a healthier lifestyle, say experts.

Both studies come from Scandinavian researchers and are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A study by the University of Eastern Finland looked at the role of eggs in type 2 diabetes, with researchers pointing out that high-cholesterol foods such as eggs have been assumed to raise the risk.

The eating habits of 2,332 men aged 42 to 60 who took part in a heart disease study in the 1980s were recorded, and two decades later 432 men were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Results showed eggs not only reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes but also lowered blood glucose levels.

Men who ate around four eggs per week had a 37 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than men who only ate one egg per week.

Eating more than four eggs did not bring any significant extra benefits.

The link remained even after taking account of exercise and smoking habits, bodyweight and fruit and veg intake.

Jyrki Virtanen, adjunct professor of nutritional epidemiology, University of Eastern Finland, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, said there was little previous scientific evidence either way on eggs and diabetes risk.

He said: ‘There is no experimental data available on the effects of egg consumption on the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

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