Eating an Egg a Day: Women's Mortality Rate as High as 22%!
In daily life, eggs are the most common nutritional food, often thought to have benefits such as improving brain intelligence, protecting the liver, preventing arteriosclerosis, preventing cancer, and delaying aging. However, a 14-year study by Japanese scientists found that compared to their peers, women who ate one or more eggs per day had a higher mortality rate than women who ate only one or two eggs per week. The Japanese researchers selected 9,300 men and women as subjects, all of whom had completed a lifestyle questionnaire in 1980, including questions about the different foods they regularly consumed. The follow-up survey found that women who ate one egg per day had a 22% higher mortality rate than those who ate only one or two eggs per week (factors such as age, smoking habits, and body weight were not considered). Women who ate two or more eggs per day had an even higher mortality rate, although the number of such women was small.
The women who ate the most eggs also had a higher probability of dying from heart disease and stroke, although statistically, the link between the two was not very strong. Scholars believe this may also be related to the fact that women rarely die from these two diseases. Related reading:
Nutrition experts believe that eggs should be boiled in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Fried eggs that are too old will have scorched edges, and the high-molecular-weight proteins in the egg white will turn into low-molecular-weight amino acids. These amino acids can often form toxic substances at high temperatures. Men can eat as many as they want: the reason is unclear
In men, there is no necessary link between eating eggs and mortality. The researchers are not clear about the reasons for this phenomenon. They speculate that this may be because women have a clearer understanding of their own dietary habits. Editor's Tip
Under normal circumstances, healthy adults can eat 1-2 eggs per day; it's better for the elderly to eat one egg per day; it's more appropriate for mental workers to eat two eggs per day; pregnant women, postpartum women, breastfeeding women, and those with weak bodies can eat 2-3 eggs per day, but not more. Boiled eggs are the best way to eat them, but they should not be overcooked. Nutrition experts remind: try not to eat egg yolks
To this end, a reporter interviewed relevant nutrition experts. Experts pointed out that eggs are high-protein foods. If consumed in excess, they can lead to an increase in metabolic products and also increase the burden on the kidneys. Generally speaking, for healthy adults, as long as they pay close attention to and control the amount of cholesterol intake from other sources such as meat and dairy products, it is advisable to eat one egg per day, and try not to eat the egg yolk, because one egg yolk contains two-thirds of the daily cholesterol intake that a healthy adult should have. Tips:
How to pick eggs—hold the egg in your hand, gently shake it to make the eggs hit each other, and listen carefully; or hold and shake it to listen to the sound. High-quality fresh eggs make a crisp sound when they hit each other, and there is no sound when shaken in the hand. Boiled eggs: the most nutritious but not overcooked
In terms of cooking, for adults, boiled eggs are the best way to eat them, but they should not be overcooked. It is appropriate to boil eggs in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, but it is important to chew slowly, otherwise it will affect absorption and digestion; however, for children, steamed egg custard and egg drop soup are the most suitable, because these two methods can break down the protein, which is easily digested and absorbed by children. (In terms of nutritional absorption and digestion rate, boiled eggs are 100%, scrambled eggs are 97%, lightly fried are 98%, heavily fried are 81.1%, eggs cooked with boiling water or milk are 92.5%, and raw eggs are 30%-50%).
Fried eggs that are too old will have scorched edges, and the high-molecular-weight proteins in the egg white will turn into low-molecular-weight amino acids. These amino acids can often form toxic substances at high temperatures. In addition, it should be noted that tea eggs should be eaten less, because tea contains acidic substances, which combine with the iron in eggs, irritate the stomach, and affect gastrointestinal digestive function. Egg Eating Misconceptions Misconception 1: The more eggs a postpartum woman eats, the better
During childbirth, postpartum women consume a lot of physical energy, and their digestive and absorption functions are weakened, and their liver's detoxification function is reduced. Eating a large amount will lead to an increased burden on the liver and kidneys, causing adverse consequences. Consuming too much protein will also produce a large amount of ammonia, hydroxyl, phenol and other chemical substances in the intestines, which are highly toxic to the human body, easily causing symptoms such as abdominal bloating, dizziness, limb weakness, and coma, leading to "protein poisoning syndrome". Protein intake should be calculated based on the human body's digestion and absorption of protein. Under normal circumstances, a postpartum woman eating about 3 eggs a day is enough. Misconception 2: Eating eggs often leads to high cholesterol
No, because the yolk contains rich lecithin, which is a powerful emulsifier that can make cholesterol and fat particles extremely fine, allowing them to pass through the blood vessel wall smoothly and be fully utilized by cells, thereby reducing cholesterol in the blood. Moreover, the lecithin in the egg yolk is digested to release choline, which enters the blood and then synthesizes acetylcholine, the main substance of the neurotransmitter, which can improve brain function and enhance memory. Misconception 3: Raw eggs are more nutritious
Raw eggs are not only unhygienic and can easily cause bacterial infections, but they are also not nutritious. Raw eggs contain avidin, which affects the absorption of biotin in food, leading to "biotin deficiency" symptoms such as loss of appetite, general weakness, and muscle pain. In addition, raw eggs contain "anti-trypsin", which will destroy the human body's digestive function. As for "mao eggs" (fertilized eggs that have been incubated but have not yet hatched), they are even more unhygienic.