Eating Eggs Not Linked to Extra Diabetes Danger
Eating an occasional egg, even almost daily, probably won't increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Previous research has linked very high consumption of eggs — generally, seven or more eggs a week — to greater likelihood of developing diabetes. But researchers wanted to know if less-frequent egg eaters were also boosting their risk, given the other nutritional benefits of eggs. They studied 3,898 men and women, ages 65 and up, participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Over an average followup of 11 years, 313 participants developed type 2 diabetes. The researchers found no significant association between egg consumption and risk of developing diabetes. The study also failed to find any link between overall dietary cholesterol and diabetes risk. Researchers cautioned that average consumption in the study group was less than one egg a week, so the study may not have been able to detect any extra risk from eating more than one egg a day. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

You Can Control the Top Stroke Risk Factors
Want to reduce your risk of stroke, the nation's third most-common killer? Get your blood pressure under control. The new Interstroke study of 3,000 stroke cases matched with 3,000 controls in 22 countries reports that hypertension is the strongest predictor of stroke risk, followed by smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and physical activity. A history of high blood pressure was associated with more than 2 1/2 times the risk of suffering a stroke. Smokers were at more than double the risk of stroke. Although body-mass index (BMI) wasn't associated with greater risk, abdominal obesity as measured by waist-to-hip ratio was. Eating more fruit and fish was linked to lower stroke occurrence, while eating lots of red meat, organ meats, eggs, fried foods, pizza and salty snakes all boosted risk. Moderate alcohol intake actually decreased risk, but having more than 30 drinks per month was associated with a 50% greater likelihood of stroke. Regular exercise cut stroke risk by more than 30%. — The Lancet

Stop Smoking, Boost HDL to Combat Early AMD
Looking to protect your vision? Researchers say smoking and low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol are associated with higher risk of early signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Most common after age 55, AMD is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans. But the researchers sought to study lifestyle factors that could affect AMD risk earlier in life. So they examined 2,810 individuals as young as 21 and as old as 84, looking for the presence and severity of drusen — deposits in the retina, an early sign of AMD. Among the factors associated with higher likelihood of drusen were smoking more heavily for a longer period of time, while increased levels of HDL cholesterol were linked to lower risk. No significant association was seen for blood pressure, body mass index, physical activity level, history of heavy drinking, white cell count or total cholesterol level. — Archives of Ophthalmology

Low in B Vitamins? Depression May Be Lurking
Previous studies have suggested that B vitamins might help protect against depression, but these were mostly snapshots at a single point in time. Now a new study connects B-vitamin intake among 3,500 seniors, initially free of depression, over a span of 12 years: For every 10-milligram increase in daily vitamin B6 from food and supplements, risk of developing depression declined by 2%. The same was true for every additional 10 micrograms of vitamin B12. Folate, another B vitamin previously linked to lower depression incidence, was not associated with reduced risk; researchers speculated this may be because folate deficiency is rare in the US, thanks to fortified grains and cereals. While cautioning that the findings don't show cause and effect — adequate B vitamin intake might, for example, simply be a sign of an overall healthy diet — researchers said the study bolsters the case that relatively low B vitamin intake might be a risk factor for depression. — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Natural Plant Compounds Improve Cholesterol Levels
Plant sterols and stanols — naturally occurring compounds that block the absorption of cholesterol — are emerging as a potent new weapon in the battle against heart disease. New findings by Dutch and German scientists show that higher levels of plant stanols produce comparably greater reductions in unhealthy LDL cholesterol. Although most recommendations call for doses of about 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols daily (either as supplements or in fortified foods such as juice and spreads), the study found benefits from daily consumption as high as 9 grams. In testing with 93 healthy subjects with slightly elevated cholesterol, up to 9 grams daily of plant stanols reduced blood levels of LDL cholesterol by up to 17.4%. An editorial accompanying the findings noted, "This raises the question of whether dietary phytosterols, 'natural' products, should be used rather than larger doses of statins or other drugs. These sterols probably would avoid some of the side effects of added drugs." — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition