The Risk of Incident Diabetes Mellitus in Relation to Egg Consumption among Working-Aged Korean Adults

Conflicting results have been published for the association between egg consumption and the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). The present study was to assess the risk of incident DM in relation to egg consumption.

Study participants were 91005 non-diabetic adults who periodically received health check-ups. They were categorized into six groups by egg consumption (<1/week, ≥1 and <3/week, ≥3 and <7/week, ≥1 and <2/day, ≥2 and <3/day, ≥3/day) and followed for incident DM during median 6.9 years. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to longitudinally evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for incident DM according to the six groups of egg consumption [adjusted HR (95% CI)]. Subgroup analysis was conducted by sex and age (<45 years or ≥45 years). The risk of DM conferred by a daily increment of one egg consumption was also analyzed.

In all participants, egg consumption ≥1/week was not significantly associated with an increased risk of DM, compared with the reference [<1/week: reference, ≥1 and <3/week: 1.01 (0.91-1.12), ≥3 and <7/week: 0.96 (0.87-1.06), ≥1 and <2/day: 1.06 (0.95-1.19), ≥2 and <3/day: 1.04 (0.88-1.22), ≥3/day: 1.29 (0.98-1.70)]. This pattern of relationship was similarly observed across all subgroups. A daily increment of one egg consumption showed only a marginal association with the risk of DM in men [1.07 (1.02-1.13)] and younger individuals [1.07 (1.02-1.13)].

Egg consumption appears to have little association with the risk of incident DM.