China: Higher consumption of eggs may raise the risk of polyp occurrence among the Chinese population at high risk of colorectal cancer, a recent study published in Food & Function has claimed. This could be due to the high dietary cholesterol content in eggs.
People with the highest dietary cholesterol had a higher polyp prevalence. "Reducing egg consumption and replacing it with total dairy products as an alternative protein source may prevent polyps occurrences in China," the researchers wrote."

Eggs contain great vitamins, high-quality protein and other bioactive nutrients but are cholesterol-rich. Jia Shen, Lanxi Red Cross Hospital, Jinhua Zhejiang, China, and colleagues assessed the association of egg consumption with polyp prevalence. For this purpose, they recruited 7068 participants at a high risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) from the LP3C (Lanxi Pre-Colorectal Cancer Cohort Study).
Dietary data were obtained through a face-to-face interview using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Electronic colonoscopy identified cases of colorectal polyps. A total of 2064 cases of colorectal polyps were identified in the 2018–2019 survey of LP3C.
The study revealed the following findings:
A positive association of egg consumption with colorectal polyp prevalence was found after the multivariable adjustment [ORQ4 vs Q1 1.23].
A positive relationship disappeared after further adjustment for dietary cholesterol, which explained that the harmful role of eggs could be ascribed to the high dietary cholesterol content.
A positive trend was found between dietary cholesterol and polyp prevalence [OR 1.21].
Replacing one egg (50 g d−1) with an equal amount of total dairy products was related to 11% lower colorectal polyp prevalence [OR 0.89].
"Our findings show that a higher intake of eggs is associated with a higher polyp prevalence in the Chinese population at a high risk of colorectal cancer," the researchers wrote; this could be attributed to the high dietary cholesterol content in eggs."
"Besides, people with the highest dietary cholesterol tended to have a higher prevalence of colorectal poly."
Reducing eggs consumption and replacing eggs with total dairy products as alternative protein sources may prevent the polyps occurrence in China," they concluded.
Reference:
The study, "Association of egg consumption with colorectal polyp prevalence: findings from the Lanxi Pre-Colorectal Cancer Cohort (LP3C) in China," was published in Food & Function.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2FO03061F