New studies suggest that eating eggs may raise the amount of heart-healthy metabolites in the blood, which may contribute to the explanation of why moderate egg consumption is protective against cardiovascular disease.

Egg consumption has been shown to increase the amount of heart-healthy compounds in the blood, according to research results that were recently published in the journal eLife.

The research suggests that eating up to one egg each day may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eggs offer a variety of vital nutrients in addition to being a strong source of dietary cholesterol. About whether eating eggs is good or bad for your heart, there is conflicting research. A 2018 study published in the journal Heart found that those who consumed eggs frequently (about one egg per day) had a much lower risk of heart disease and stroke than those who did not. There were about 500,000 participants in this study in China. To better understand this link, the authors of this study have now launched a population-based study that examines the effects of egg consumption on cardiovascular health indices in the blood.

Few studies have examined the part that plasma cholesterol metabolism plays in the link between eating eggs and the risk of cardiovascular illnesses, so we set out to fill that gap, says the study's first author Lang Pan, MSc, of Peking University in Beijing, China.

From the China Kadoorie Biobank, Pan and his team chose 4,778 participants, 3,401 of whom had cardiovascular disease, and 1,377 of whom did not. In plasma samples of the subjects' blood, they measured 225 metabolites using a method called targeted nuclear magnetic resonance. They found 24 of these metabolites that were connected to self-reported egg consumption levels.

Their investigations revealed that people who consumed modest amounts of eggs had greater blood levels of apolipoprotein A1, which is a component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also referred to as "good lipoprotein." These people in particular had higher levels of big HDL molecules in their blood, which aid in removing cholesterol from blood arteries and preventing blockages that can cause heart attacks and strokes.

14 other compounds connected to heart disease were also found by the researchers. They discovered that, as compared to those who consumed eggs more frequently, those who consumed fewer eggs had lower levels of helpful metabolites and higher amounts of toxic ones in their blood.

Canqing Yu, Associate Professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Peking University, who is the study's lead author, adds that the combined findings "give a plausible explanation for how eating a reasonable number of eggs can help protect against heart disease." To confirm the causative functions that lipid metabolites play in the link between egg intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, more research is required.

The principal author and Boya Distinguished Professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Peking University, Liming Li, states that "this study may possibly have consequences for Chinese national dietary standards." The average consumption of eggs in China is less than one per day, despite current health recommendations, according to research. Our research demonstrates the need for additional initiatives to support the population's moderate egg intake and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as a whole.

The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Kadoorie Charitable Foundation in Hong Kong, The National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Key Research and Development Program of China all provided funding for the study.