Cardio­metabolic Health

Cardiometabolic health is a relatively new term that encompasses cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Collectively, such conditions are the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. They all share similar risk factors (e.g., overweight/obesity, elevated blood pressure) which can be modified by diet and lifestyle choices. The available evidence indicates that eggs, when consumed as part of an overall healthy diet pattern, do not affect risk factors for cardiometabolic disease. Recent recommendations from the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and American Diabetes Association do not limit egg or cholesterol intake, a change from earlier guidance from these organizations. In fact, several global health organizations, including Health Canada, the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Australian Heart Foundation and the Irish Heart Foundation, promote eggs as part of a heart-healthy diet.

Given the public health significance of understanding cardiometabolic diseases, research on risk reduction remains an active area of pursuit. For example:

  • A randomized controlled study in people with metabolic syndrome showed that those consuming three whole eggs per day as part of a reduced carbohydrate diet experienced favorable changes in HDL-cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and other aspects of the lipoprotein lipid profile
  • A randomized controlled weight loss trial in people with diagnosed type 2 diabetes showed improved lipid and glucose markers following consumption of 2 eggs per day for 12 weeks.
  • An egg-based breakfast, rich in protein (35% energy; 26.1 g egg protein), promoted glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes relative to a high-carbohydrate breakfast.

What Foods Should People with Diabetes Eat

By Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND

Many people with diabetes avoid health-boosting foods because of the food’s perceived effect on blood glucose or because of long-held fears of carbohydrates, fats or cholesterol. As type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease with effects reaching the liver, heart, brain and more, people with diabetes should be encouraged to avoid the myopic view that diabetes is merely a blood sugar problem. Thus, a diet for type 2 diabetes management must also consider overall health with emphasis on glucose control, reversing insulin resistance and preventing heart disease and stroke.

The following are several foods people with diabetes often have questions about. Continue reading “What Foods Should People with Diabetes Eat”

Whole Eggs and Cholesterol Absorption

Dietary cholesterol intake from whole eggs has shown to elicit a highly variable impact on blood cholesterol levels, with approximately two-thirds of the population having a minimal or no response. This has certainly effected a shift in modern day thinking regarding dietary cholesterol. Why wouldn’t dietary intake directly affect body levels? A recent study in Nutrients delved further into the relationship between cholesterol in eggs and plasma cholesterol levels by measuring how cholesterol is absorbed immediately after a meal. Continue reading “Whole Eggs and Cholesterol Absorption”

Eggs, Cholesterol and Cardiometabolic Health

Does cholesterol intake impact cardiometabolic health? Two prospective studies from Boston University School of Medicine show no link between dietary cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. The findings, published in the journal Nutrients, use data from the Framingham Offspring Study to analyze the effects of dietary cholesterol intake over a 20-year period: Continue reading “Eggs, Cholesterol and Cardiometabolic Health”

Egg Consumption Positively Affects Glycemic Control and Insulin Sensitivity in Individuals With Pre- and Type II- Diabetes

Featured article in the June, 2018 Issue of Nutrition Research Update; written by Shirin Pourafshar, PhD

The prevalence of type II-diabetes mellitus is increasing in the United States (U.S.).1 Interventions that target the early stages of its pathogenesis (i.e. pre-diabetes) before individuals are diagnosed with type II-diabetes would be ideal for preventing its development. Continue reading “Egg Consumption Positively Affects Glycemic Control and Insulin Sensitivity in Individuals With Pre- and Type II- Diabetes”