How eating eggs may help you live longer

Regular consumption of eggs is associated with a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death in relatively healthy older adults, new research from a Monash University-led team has found.

In a report published in the journal Nutrients, the researchers found that for relatively healthy older adults, consuming eggs 1-6 times per week was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (death from any cause) and CVD mortality compared to those who rarely or never eat eggs.

The study involved 8756 adults aged 70 years or older, who self-reported the frequency of their total egg intake: never/infrequently (rarely/never, or 1-2 times/month), weekly (1-6 times/week), and daily (daily/several times per day), as part of the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub-study.

First author Holly Wild, a PhD candidate and lecturer from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said compared to older adults who never or infrequently ate eggs (up to twice a month), those who ate eggs 1-6 times a week had a 15% lower risk of death from any cause, and a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death.

“Eggs are a nutrient-dense food; they are a rich source of protein and a good source of essential nutrients, such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), choline, and numerous minerals and trace elements,” Wild said.

“Eggs are also an accessible source of protein and nutrition in older adults, with research suggesting that they are the preferred source of protein for older adults who might be experiencing age-related physical and sensory decline.”

The study also explored the relationship between egg consumption and mortality across different levels of diet quality (low, moderate, high).

“The study found that older adults with a moderate-to-high diet quality reported a 33% and 44% lower risk of CVD-related death, suggesting that the addition of eggs to moderate and high-quality diets may improve longevity,” the researchers wrote.

The current Australian Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that adults with normal cholesterol can eat up to seven eggs per week, while some European countries suggest limiting it to 3-4 eggs per week. 

The AHA also supports up to two eggs per day for older adults with normal cholesterol.

“Previous research has observed a higher risk of mortality with egg consumption for those who have high cholesterol," Wild said. "For this reason, we also explored the association between egg consumption and mortality in people with and without dyslipidemia (clinically diagnosed high cholesterol).

“We found a 27% lower risk of CVD-related death for participants with dyslipidemia who consumed eggs weekly, compared to their counterparts that consumed eggs rarely or never, suggesting that in this study cohort, the presence of dyslipidemia does not influence the risk associated with egg consumption.

“Our results suggest that eating up to six eggs a week may reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular related diseases in older adults. These findings may be beneficial in the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines for older adults.”

Read the full paper in Nutrients: Egg Consumption and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study of Australian Community-Dwelling Older Adults. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020323

Older travellers being victimised

Older travellers are being penalised by being charged additional hidden costs and restricted choice, new research by British consumer organisation Which? has found.

The costs relate to purchasing holiday essentials including travel insurance and car hire," Travel Mole reports.

Older people have long been charged higher premiums for their travel insurance, with advancing age a recognised risk factor pushing up prices.

Which? also found data from Moneysupermarket.com that shows that since Covid, the amount older travellers are paying has risen disproportionately.

For a single trip policy covering a week in Spain, those aged 25-54 would on average have paid around £7.98 in 2019, while in July this year, they paid an average of £10.65.

Older age groups have borne the brunt of steeper increases, with the amount paid by the 85+ age group rising an absurd 169%.

Those in the 75-84 bracket have seen policies rising on average by 60%.

Which? is concerned that recent price rises for older travellers are disproportionate.

It recently scrutinised 199 travel insurance policies and discovered 190 of these (95%) set a maximum age threshold for new customers.

Car hire is another area in which older travellers are likely to be short-changed.

Many companies bury age restrictions in their terms and conditions documents.

Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Hertz only ask to confirm if they are over 30 when booking online, meaning drivers could be at the desk before discovering prohibitive age restrictions.

To add to the confusion, age restrictions can often vary between locations, even when using the same company.

Fees for older drivers are also often exorbitant.

Which? has also found evidence of older travellers being penalised because of digital exclusion.

Those in older age groups who may lack technological skills will likely end up paying more as a result.

Saga, which offers insurance exclusively to the over 50s, charges as much as 30% less for those who book online.

Airlines including British Airways and easyJet charge customers more to amend a booking by phone.

A similar situation no doubt exists in Australia. 

Guy Hobbs, editor of Which? Travel, said: “If you are an older traveller, it’s important to shop around and compare the rates on offer, as there’s likely to be a great deal of variation between providers.”

Image: Nikol Mudrová on Scopio.