Eating just THREE eggs a week 'increases chance of men getting prostate cancer'

• Men who ate the most eggs also more likely to have a poor diet, be overweight, smoke and take less exercise

Having eggs for breakfast might seem like a reasonably healthy choice.
But eating just three a week can significantly increase a man's chance of getting prostate cancer, a study has shown.
Men who eat more than two-an-a-half eggs on a weekly basis are 80 per cent more likely to contract the disease, claim researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Hidden risks: Men who eat more than two-an-a-half eggs a week are 80 per cent more likely to get prostate cancer, a study shows (picture posed by model)

The risk from eggs could be due to their high levels of cholesterol and choline, a nutrient that helps cells function, according to the scientists.

 But cancer groups said the link between eggs and prostate cancer could be down to other factors, as men who ate the most eggs were also more likely to have a poor diet, be overweight, smoke and take less exercise.

British people eat an average of 182 eggs a year, and around 31million eggs are bought every single day.
The British Heart Foundation used to recommend no more than three eggs a week because of fears it might increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
But it dropped the recommendation in 2007 when new evidence showed that, although eggs contain cholesterol, little is deposited in the bloodstream.

Health problems: Prostate cancer cells could be affected by high level of cholesterol in eggs

However, the Harvard researchers said people should exercise caution after their study of more than 27,000 men over 14 years showed a link between eggs and cancer.
They also measured consumption of poultry, red meat and processed meats - but found no link between these foods and the tumours.
They decided to investigate the role of eggs in prostate cancer after an initial study last year found men with low-grade tumours were more likely to be killed by them if they had an egg-rich diet.
Their report said: 'Men who consumed 2.5 eggs or more a week had an 81 per cent increased risk of lethal prostate cancer compared to men who consumed less than half an egg a week.
'Although additional studies are needed, caution in egg intake may be warranted for adult men.'
Nearly 32,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK and 10,000 men die from it - the equivalent of more than one an hour.
Sarah Williams, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: 'There is a small amount of previous research on the link between eating eggs and the risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer, but the results have been contradictory and it's still not clear whether there is a real effect.'
The British Egg Information Service said the research was flawed and the total number of prostate cancer deaths in the study - 199 - was too small to make firm conclusions.
A spokeswoman said: 'The results suggest egg consumption was a marker for other more important lifestyle factors which influence prostate cancer risk.'