Egg Consumption and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Adults: Based on 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

There is a great public concern that higher consumption of eggs may increase the risk of chronic disease due to high levels of cholesterol in eggs. In contrast to this concern, limited studies have examined this relationship, and the study results have been inconsistent. This study was to evaluate the cross-sectional associations between egg consumption, blood markers and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. We analyzed data from the combined 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Egg intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was ascertained using criteria of the NCEP ATP III (2001) and abdominal obesity criteria of the WHO. In 5,548 subjects, 937 subjects were defined as having metabolic syndrome. In linear regression models, subjects reporting one or more egg consumption per day had significantly lower levels of triglyceride, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure, and a higher level of HDL cholesterol, compared to those who rarely consumed eggs (P-trends < 0.05). After adjustments for potential confounding factors, the associations were no longer significant except for total cholesterol, showing higher levels with frequent egg consumption. More frequent intakes of egg (1 egg or more/day) were associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a logistic regression model (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.96), but this association also became insignificant after adjustments for multiple confounding factors (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.71-1.57). In healthy Korean adults, frequent intakes of eggs did not adversely affect the risk of metabolic syndrome. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding. (Korean J Community Nutr 16(3) : 364~374, 2011)