Are 7 Eggs a Week Dangerous?

Don't be freaked out by new reports that men who ate seven eggs a week or more had higher mortality rates than those who didn't. To explain all the statistical problems with this study and all the "if's, but's and when's" would take more time and more detail than a newsletter article could possibly cover. The important thing to know is that it's pretty much junk science.

Here are a few things to consider:

One, this wasn't an experiment, it was an "association" study. The researchers didn't investigate what else the egg eaters were eating.

Two, the eggs did not increase either cardiovascular disease or stroke. That means the men who died at a higher rate were dying of something else which was not identified in the study.

Three, most of the egg eaters also happened to be overweight and not terribly healthy. And no record was kept of what else they were eating, nor do we know if they were eating Egg McMuffins with fries and no vegetables.

Even with all that, consumption of up to six eggs a week also wasn't found to be associated with a higher risk of death from all causes.

There are tons of problems with this study, and it flies in the face of an awful lot of research showing the health benefits of eggs. I know reports like this make people crazy (are eggs good? Are they bad?) but let's all take a deep breath.

Eggs have been in the human diet for as long as we've had domesticated farm animals. They're one of natures most perfect foods. They're are a source of minerals, folate, B vitamins, protein and monounsaturated fats -- all of which have the potential to lower overall risk for a number of conditions, plus they contain the brain nutrient choline and the eye nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin.

It doesn"t pass the smell test that folks are dropping dead because they ate a half dozen eggs a week, independent of any other factors.

As a famous presenter at a medical conference I recently attended said, "Saturated fat didn't evolve to kill middle aged men".

Something else is going on here. It's easy to "blame" it on the eggs. My suggestion: don't go there.