Egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in the sun project

Abstract

Background/Objective: Egg consumption has been associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but evidence is scarce and inconsistent. Our aim was to examine the association between egg consumption and incidence of CVD in a prospective dynamic Mediterranean cohort of 14 185 university graduates. Subjects/Methods: Egg intake was assessed using a 136-item validated food frequency questionnaire. The baseline consumption was categorized into no consumption or <1/week, 1/week, 2-4/week, and >4/week. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors was assessed by questionnaire at baseline and the incidence of CVD was assessed using biennial assessments. The median follow-up was 6.1 years. Cox regression models were fitted to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for CVD (myocardial infarction, revascularization procedures or stroke). Outcomes were confirmed by review of medical records. Results: During a median follow-up of 6.1 years, 91 new confirmed cases of CVD were observed. No association was found between egg consumption and the incidence of CVD (HR=1.10, 95% CI: 0.46-2.63) for the highest vs. the lowest category of egg consumption) after adjusting for age, sex, total energy intake, adherence to the Mediterranean food pattern and other cardiovascular risk factors. Results were robust to different analytical scenarios Conclusions: No association between egg consumption and the incidence of CVD was found in this Mediterranean cohort.