Just one egg a day reduces nutrient gaps among US teens, study shows

US teenagers face significant nutrient deficiencies, but new research shows how a simple solution – adding one egg a day – can dramatically increase their nutrient intake and improve their health, especially for those who are at risk of food insecurity.

Study: Eating egg-rich diets and modeling the addition of one daily egg reduced the risk of malnutrition among food-insecure and food-insecure US youth. Image Credit: mdbildes / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition, researchers in the United States analyzed data from the US NHANES study to assess the nutritional status of US adolescents and the impact of additional egg consumption on observational patterns. Alarmingly, over 60% of adolescents were at risk of insufficiency in one or more of calcium, magnesium, choline, and essential vitamins (eg, vitamins D and E), which may be due to on unhealthy eating behaviors (eg late night snacking). .

Encouragingly, consumption of egg-based dishes was found to improve nutritional outcomes, with consumers showing significantly higher levels of choline, vitamin B2, vitamin D, selenium, lutein + zeaxanthin, docosahexaenoic acid, and protein than their counterparts. which avoids eggs. These findings highlight the need for policy makers to improve the publicity, accessibility and availability of eggs and similar nutrient-rich foods to reduce the widespread risk of nutrient insufficiency and to address the growing concerns in terms of nutritional insecurity in the country and abroad.

Background

‘Food insecurity’ – a global health concern is the situation of people or families who are unable to access enough safe and nutritious food that is essential for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 733 million people (~9% of the human population) were acutely food insecure in 2023, a growth of 152 million people in just four years between 2019-2023.

Although more than 70% of individuals suffering from food insecurity live in underdeveloped and war-torn regions, insufficient nutrient consumption has a greater impact on developed households (such as those in the United States), especially for children and teenagers. In 2022, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) reported that 17.3% of households with minors were food insecure. The report highlights that adolescents are benefiting from the worst eating habits across the stages of human development, reflecting poor choices in nutritional decisions (eg, junk over home-cooked diets) and healthy eating habits (eg ., regular meal times).

To achieve the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommended for optimal health by US adolescents, meal plans, including the increasingly popular Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), will have limited success. aiming to balance nutritional adequacy and affordability. Unfortunately, the lack of clear scientific evidence on the health outcomes of accessible, inexpensive foods like eggs hinders the development of improved meal plans. Establishing the nutritional outcomes of these food components would provide caregivers and policy makers with the information they need to pave the way for a healthier and more secure tomorrow.

“Although dishes containing mainly eggs (eg hard-boiled eggs) are considered protein foods, eggs are commonly included as ingredients in other types of dishes (eg, burritos), as a component of foods in the grain group (m .sh., bread) , and to a lesser extent some snack foods. This varied distribution of eggs across several food groups creates challenges in understanding their nutrient intake. However, eggs provide several additional nutrients that have not yet been evaluated in this context, and few, if any, studies have modeled the effect of adding a single egg on normal nutrient intakes in among US youth.”

About the study

The present study aims to evaluate the nutritional contributions of eggs (nutrient exposure scores) on micronutrient and protein aspects of dietary recommendations (DRI, DGA, and Thrifty Food Plan). It also models the potential benefits of adding one daily egg to the diets of former adolescent participants in the NHANES study (2007-2018).

Data for the study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a national long-term (2007-2018) representative, continuous, cross-sectional database hosted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). . Data were collected through home interviews, health screening using a mobile examination center (MEC), and follow-up telephone interviews. Demographic data (age, sex, weight, height, body mass index [BMI]family poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), and race/ethnicity).

“This study includes two analytical samples. The first was used to estimate the usual nutrient intake and the percentage of teenagers who did not meet the nutrient recommendations; and included youth aged 14–17 years with complete data on food security (ie household child food security) and ≥1 reliable 24-h dietary recall (n=3,633). The second was employed to assess TNI and FNI scores and included adolescents aged 14-17 years with complete information on dietary supplements (ie Dietary Supplement and Prescription Medicine Questionnaire (DSMQ)) and a 24 -h at least. recall (l=1,822).”

Food security was a key variable, and adolescent participants were classified into food secure and food insecure categories based on the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Nutritional data were obtained from NHANES records and MEC analyses. The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Nutritional Studies (FNDDS) was used to classify diets containing eggs into ‘primary egg foods’ and ‘egg ingredient dishes’. The Rao-Scott statistical test and t-tests were used to assess the contribution of socio-demographic variables and inter-cohort differences respectively.

Results of the study

Supporting DGA reports, 14% of the current study cohort (ages 14–17) lived in food insecure households, and the majority were non-Hispanic black Americans or Mexican Americans. Additionally, participants with obesity (BMI >30) and low income (PIR <1.00) were more likely to belong to food insecure households. Alarmingly, almost half (49%) of the study cohort had never eaten eggs, with 36% and 15% eating mainly egg dishes and egg-ingredient dishes, respectively.

“…regardless of food security status, more than 80% of adolescents were at risk of insufficiency for vitamins D and E. Only 9%-14% of adolescents had an intake greater than the AI ​​for choline. “

Adolescents consuming predominantly egg-based diets who experienced food insecurity performed significantly better in nutritional metrics than other cohorts, particularly in protein and essential micronutrient categories. Modeling one egg per day in the diet significantly increased nutrient intakes across all groups, including those at high risk of nutrient insufficiency. The study showed that even food-insecure teenagers benefited from egg consumption, particularly in the areas of choline, vitamin D, and protein intake.

Conclusions

Despite the US being a developed nation with limited food scarcity, more than 60% of the current study cohort (n = 5,455) suffered from nutritional insufficiency (especially in proteins and essential micronutrients such as vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and choline ), highlighting teenagers as a high-risk population in nutrition investigations.

Almost half of the participants reported that they rarely or never ate eggs. Participants who mainly ate eggs as part of their diets significantly reduced nutrient insufficiency. Modeling results showed that adding a single egg per day significantly improved nutritional outcomes across all cohorts evaluated, although food insecure participants were expected to benefit the most.

“Efforts aimed at improving the accessibility and availability of nutrient-rich foods are critical to reducing nutritional risk for all adolescents, and more tailored strategies may be needed.”