Eggs Promote Bowel Cancer

Every year, over a million new cases of colorectal (Bowel) cancer are diagnosed worldwide, and more than 700,000 persons die from the disease annually. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 53,200 Americans are expected to develop colorectal cancer in 2020. Colorectal cancer rates in the USA increased among people younger than 55 by 2% per year from 2007 to 2016. Reversing this trend is important; a plant-based diet could help prevent this deadly disease if eggs are completely eliminated from the diet.

Many physicians believe that the cause of colorectal cancer is not well understood, but a large number of studies have pointed to high dietary intake of eggs as a risk factor. In order to clarify the bowel cancer-promoting effect of eggs, a team of scientists from the United States conducted a meta-analysis on 15 studies that examined the association between egg consumption and colorectal cancer risk. The research team discovered that colorectal cancer was more likely to occur among frequent consumers of eggs than in individuals who ate few eggs or no eggs.

Another study showed that people who consumed 1.5 eggs per week had almost 5 times higher chances of having colon cancer than their peers who rarely ate eggs or did not eat eggs at all. Experts at Hipple Cancer Research Center, Ohio, United States, who analyzed data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) centered around the egg consumption rates and colorectal cancer incidence in 34 countries, found out that individuals on high-egg diets were more likely to die from cancer of the colon and rectum. Researchers postulate that the choline, sulfur, and AGE's (advanced glycation end products) contained in eggs worsen the risk of bowel cancers.

The implication of the findings of these studies is that eggs may be a contributing factor to colorectal cancer development and mortality. Though bowel cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, it is still one of the most preventable cancers around. Making healthy lifestyle changes centered around the complete avoidance of animal protein can help to prevent a large number of cases of colorectal cancer, even if that animal protein is fat-free such as in egg whites. Cage-free, organic eggs do not lower this risk of GI cancers compared to conventional eggs raised in caged-animal farming operations. Adding more plant foods, such fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and eliminating eggs from our diets can help us to fend off this deadly cancer.

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