Are you eating enough eggs?

This high-protein food is packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants, but there’s more…

A new study suggests there may be an even bigger benefit to eating eggs: reducing your risk of type-2 diabetes.

20-Year Study of Over 2,000 Men

The study, which was performed by the University of Eastern Finland and published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved studying the habits of 2,332 men between the ages of 42 and 60 since the late 1980s. During the 19.3-year follow-up, 432 of those men were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. But, what the researchers found was that those men who had consumed more eggs than their counterparts had a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

The results were interesting, because a possible association between egg consumption and type-2 diabetes has never been looked at with such scrutiny. Most studies tend to be inconclusive, and some showed that high cholesterol diets may be linked to sugar disturbances and increased diabetes risk. Other studies greatly contrasted that notion, instead finding that eating more eggs could lead to improved glucose balance. With all this conflicting information, the University of Eastern Finland decided to look for any correlation using their massive study.

Men who ate approximately four eggs per week had a 37 percent lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes than men who ate only one or two eggs per week. Other factors, such as eating habits, smoking, and exercising were handled by comparing smokers to smokers, and healthy eaters to healthy eaters. In each situation, the findings persisted.

Link Between Egg Consumption and Type-2 Diabetes

No concrete explanation can yet be formed surrounding the exact link between egg consumption and a lowered risk for type-2 diabetes, and more studies are needed. Researchers believe it may be B-vitamin related or protein related. Even though there is no definitive claim that eating more eggs can impact your diabetes risk, the overall study does suggest that egg consumption can be beneficial to helping your body manage sugar.

Why Is this Information Important?

Type-2 diabetes is a chronic condition that is caused by high levels of glucose in the blood, and one of the most common non-contagious diseases. Some characteristic symptoms include weight loss, blurred vision, increased thirst, and patches of dark skin.

The disease is considered an international health crisis, and an estimated 366 million people had diabetes in 2001, with the numbers continuing to steadily increase. Future research like this may eventually help those numbers to go down.

Listen in as Dr. Mike goes in depth with this study that shows eggs could potentially reduce your risk of type-2 diabetes.