U.S. adolescents face significant nutrient deficiencies, but new research highlights how a simple solution—adding one egg a day—can dramatically boost their nutrient intake and improve their health, especially for those at risk of food insecurity.
Study: Eating egg-rich diets and modeling the addition of one daily egg reduced the risk of nutrient inadequacy among U.S. adolescents with and without food insecurity .
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 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).
Modeling the addition of just one egg per day showed substantial improvements in nutrient intake, with the greatest benefits seen in choline and vitamin D levels. 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 availabil.
