Culture Post: Just One Egg Daily Reduces Nutrient Gaps Among U.S. Adolescents

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News-Medical.

In a recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition, researchers in the United States analyzed data from the US NHANES study to evaluate the nutritional status of US adolescents and the impacts of added egg consumption on observed patterns. Alarmingly, over 60% of adolescents were at risk of inadequacy in one or more of calcium, magnesium, choline, and essential vitamins ((e.g., vitamins D and E), potentially due to unhealthy eating behaviors (e.g., late-night snacks).

Encouragingly, the consumption of primarily egg-based dishes was found to improve nutritional outcomes, with consumers exhibiting significantly higher choline, vitamin B2, vitamin D, selenium, lutein + zeaxanthin, docosahexaenoic acid, and protein levels than their egg-avoiding counterparts. These findings emphasize the need for policymakers to enhance the publicity, accessibility, and availability of eggs and similar nutrient-rich foods to reduce the widespread risk of nutrient inadequacy and address the growing concerns of nutrition insecurity in the country and abroad.

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

Alarmingly, almost half (49%) of the study cohort never consumed eggs, while 36% and 15% consumed primarily egg dishes and egg-ingredient dishes, respectively. Adolescents consuming primarily egg-based diets and experiencing food security presented significantly better nutritional metrics than other cohorts, particularly in protein and essential micronutrient categories. Modeling the addition of one egg per day to the diet significantly improved nutrient intakes across all groups, including those at high risk of nutrient inadequacy. The study showed that even food-insecure adolescents benefited from egg consumption, particularly in areas of choline, vitamin D, and protein intake.

Source: News-Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240923/Just-one-egg-daily-reduces-nutrient-gaps-among-US-adolescents-study-shows.aspx

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