Zzarth said...
My doctor told me to stop eating eggs.
Something to do with the choline.
Quick search on the web revealed this video
Man, I used to drink tons of milk ... I also used to eat a lot of eggs...
Has anyone stopped, or modified their egg consumption as part of their long term treatment?
Zzarth
Hey Zarth,
Yep, I almost stopped eggs and chicken- particularly with skin- after a report out of Harvard a few years back that associated both with a much higher incidence of relapse after treatment for PC, even worse for the high risk guys like me. (but note: zero association for red- even processed red- meat! ) But lately I come and go as far as though 2 nutrients.
First, as time went on I found conflicting studies. One let eggs off the hook. Another still somewhat condemned eggs, but found chicken to be protective! All of this also varied with what country you lived in, which I suppose might change the food the cattle and chicken consume, which might change things for us, the consumers of cattle/chicken/eggs.
Other problems: the choline in the eggs is( like cholesterol) an absolutely essential nutrient, important for many body systems. Also, notice from your link that it says "choline in eggs, poultry, dairy, and fish produces the same toxic TMAO as carnitine in red meat—which may help explain plant-based protection from heart disease and prostate cancer.". But compare that to the Harvard study I already mentioned, which while condemning eggs and chicken found ZERO problems with any form of red meat, even at the highest levels of consumption. Those things don't seem to jive.
Lastly, leaving off eggs and or chicken- and some would say red meat- makes it very difficult for me to follow my preferred low carb style of eating. In the past, this is ALMOST the only way I have found to control my weight. Which also seems to work to keep my BP quite low and various other benefits. But recently I have been trying to make the case that someday we are going to prove that high blood insulin levels- normally associated with excess carbohydrate consumption and higher than optimum blood sugar(and finally to diabetes which is associated with higher cancer incidence and mortality-- is a bottom line cause of PC, other cancers and many other ailments that run rampant among us Americans(or any one else who eats that way). I have had several recent threads on that subject and pet theory of mine. Time will tell if I am totally wrong about
that.
But if it turns out I am right on that, then low carb eating is not only a good way to control or lower my weight, it is accomplishing this by lowering average levels of blood insulin, a major growth factor for both waist lines AND various cancers. So if cutting way back on eggs and chicken- and even red meat? - makes it much tougher to keep the carbs low (since you have to eat something ) and thus keep the insulin low, then I have a conflict and must choose: which is most important in my battle against PC(and many other diseases): a low choline or a low insulin? I say controlling insulin is more important, IMHO.
See, here is the thing about
any one in those studies who falls into the category of a consumer of the highest level of choline(or meat related products of any kind): you can bet your bottom dollar that almost every participant in those studies was also a consumer of plenty of carbs. Lets face it, out of the large #s they were gathering diet history from(not the most reliable studies to start with), how many of those folks were also eating very low carb along with their eggs? Unless a (probably very) few were specifically trying to avoid carbs, don't you figure when they had their eggs for breakfast they also had grits, hash browns and toast with jelly? Or maybe Egg McMuffin, or a muffin or bagel? Or Maybe Mama's Pancake Breakfast from Cracker Barrel? You know darn well most did. And that goes for their fried chicken or steak for lunch or supper, almost always goes with bread, baked or mashed potatoes, pasta etc, etc, and don't forget dessert and sweetened drinks!
That would be the normal diet of folks that also eat lots of eggs, chicken or beef. IOW, most are on a very high carb diet, which means invariably a very high insulin producing diet. So, I wonder for those in the highest egg bracket, the ones in the Harvard study who had 2-3 times higher rates of PC relapse- well was it really the eggs alone, or was it all the carb that went with the eggs, producing the high insulin?
So, I have been quite cautious about
eggs for most of these 4 years since diagnoses, but I kind of vary i how much. And I don't think anyone has really proven anything for sure yet.