Health News (Week 09 – 2018)
By Robert Redfern

Just about halfway on my travels around the world. The next leg is 14 hours from Melbourne Australia to Los Angeles in the USA to visit the Natural Products Convention in Anaheim. Here I get to talk to the technical people from the companies that make leading edge ingredients and natural health products.

I have my BlockBuster AllClear ready for this 14 hour flight as well as my OxySorb to keep my blood healthy for such a long trip. My wife is staying on here in Melbourne with family and enjoying our 8 month old grandchild.

Do Eggs Cause Prostate Cancer?

As usual I am reading up on health research and I was shocked to come across a ‘research led’ article quoting numerous studies that all concur that consuming more than a couple of eggs per week dramatically increase the risk of prostate cancer.

I have always carried on eating organic eggs from grass fed chickens (up to 10-12 per week) but now I need to review and question these studies in greater detail especially, were the eggs from hens being fed on GMO corn? All hen eggs that are not certified organic or raised in chemical free pasture are likely fed on GMO foods.

The studies follow on from other studies that linked an increase in prostate conditions to consumption of meats, milk and cheese.

Important Points From The Studies

Much has been studied on the impact of diet on prostate cancer, including whether certain foods increase or decrease the overall risk, rate of progression, level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and more. One food that has been highlighted in these analyses are eggs, so a question that has risen is, can eggs increase prostate cancer risk?

In a Harvard study, investigators evaluated the diets of 1,294 men who had early stage prostate cancer. The two-year study included men who had participated in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor. The authors discovered that while red meat, fish, total poultry, and skinless poultry were not associated with the recurrence or progression of prostate cancer, egg intake was. When compared with men who rarely ate eggs at all, those who consumed eggs daily had a twofold increase in the risk of prostate cancer progression.

Related: Do Eggs, Dairy, Red Meat, and Poultry Increase Prostate Cancer Risk?

The reason for this increased risk was postulated to be the choline in eggs, which is present in significant amounts (although cholesterol also has been suggested). In fact, eggs are the richest source of choline. Previous research has shown that this water-soluble, vitamin-like nutrient has been associated with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Therefore, it could be extrapolated that the choline in eggs may increase the chances of both getting the disease and spreading it.

But the dangers of consuming eggs if you have prostate cancer doesn’t end there. Other research has shown that choline also significantly increases the risk of dying of prostate cancer; a “70% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer” to be exact. Another study quoted an even higher percentage: 81 percent higher risk of deadly prostate cancer among men who ate 2.5 or more eggs weekly.

Choline and Cancer

The association between choline and cancer exists on several levels. One is the research showing that eggs, milk, and meat—all of which contain choline–have been linked to advanced prostate cancer. Another factor is that dietary choline is transformed into trimethylamine (TMAO) in the gut. The Harvard investigators suggested that the trimethylamine produced from high levels of dietary choline intake “may increase inflammation, and this may promote progression of prostate cancer to lethal disease.”

Further evidence pointing to the role of choline in prostate cancer was seen in a Cleveland Clinic study in which participants were fed hard-boiled eggs. This resulted in a significant rise in TMAO, and the researchers also noted a link between TMAO levels and heart attack, stroke, and death, even in individuals with low-risk levels of cholesterol.

Therefore, it appears that consuming eggs may increase risk even if cholesterol is not an issue, and the reason seems to be the presence of choline.

References

  • Gregor M. Eggs, choline and cancer. NutritionFacts.org. 2013 October 14 Richman EL et al. Egg, red meat, and poultry intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer in the prostate-specific antigen-era: incidence and survival. Cancer Prevention Research (Phila) 2011; 4(12): 2110-21
  • Richman EL et al. Intakes of meat, fish, poultry and eggs and risk of prostate cancer progression. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010; 91(3): 712-21
  • Richman EL et al. Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2012; 96(4): 855-63
  • Tang WHW et al. Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular risk. NEJM 2013 Apr 25; 368(17): 1575-84

Personally

While I receive this information and review it, I will think carefully before I stop eating pasture raised hen eggs. In the meantime I am always following the men’s health plan in my eBook and am a firm believer of the evidence that the supplements in the plan will protect me from cancer.

That being said I have for a long time leaned towards a plant based diet not least because meat and dairy production use an enormous amount of water resources and create pollution on a worldwide scale.

I will revisit eggs in the future when I have more information. I am very confident that following the plan in my eBook will keep you safe.

REMEMBER

All diseases are caused by incorrect foods, lack of nutrients and not walking enough. Start today to correct these and move towards Good Health…and remember Curcumin.