Starting the day on an egg could keep your blood pressure in check, research suggests. Scientists have shown that eggs produce proteins that mimic the action of powerful blood pressure-lowering drugs.

The finding comes a few days after a study exploded the myth that they can increase the danger of heart attacks.

It now appears that eggs may be good for the heart, lowering blood pressure in the same way as Ace inhibitors, prescription-only pills taken by millions around the world. The drugs lower blood pressure by stopping the hormone angiotensin narrowing the body's blood vessels.

The researchers, from the University of Alberta in Canada, showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes they produce a protein that acts in the same way.

Fried eggs proved particularly successful at blocking angiotensin, lab-based tests showed, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports. But the researchers, whose study was funded by the poultry industry, said more work was needed to show the effects outside a lab and in the human body.

Earlier this month, British researchers proclaimed that, contrary to popular perception, it is healthy to go to work on an egg. Researchers for the British Nutrition Foundation - part-funded by the poultry industry - concluded that the type of cholesterol found in eggs has minimal effect on raising heart disease risks.

It is saturated fat, rather than the cholesterol found in eggs, that is the main dietary culprit in raising cholesterol levels.

Smoking, being overweight and lack of exercise also influence blood fat and cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin, of the University of Surrey, said: 'The ingrained misconception linking egg consumption to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected. 'The amount of saturated fat in our diet exerts an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of dietary cholesterol.

The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat. 'They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods.' The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005. However, almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies, a poll found. ...And a slice of cheese might just prevent cancerEating cheese and other calcium-rich dairy products could cut your risk of cancer.

Such foods appear to be particularly effective against bowel and other cancers of the digestive system, according a U.S. study of almost half a million volunteers.

Researchers tracked the health and dietary habits of more than 490,000 adults for up to eight years.

Women taking in the most calcium, a mineral normally associated with bone health, were 23 per cent less likely to have developed bowel, stomach and other digestive cancers than those who ate the least.

For men, high levels of calcium cut the risk of these cancers by 16 per cent, the journal Archives of Internal Medicine Reports.

These men and women took in more than 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day - more than twice the level recommended by the Food Standards Agency. A 100g wedge of cheddar provides about 720mg of calcium.

The researchers, from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, said: 'Calcium has been shown to reduce abnormal growth and induce normal turnover among cells in the gastrointestinal tract.'

研究表明：每天清晨吃一个鸡蛋，可以控制血压。科学家已经表示，鸡蛋里含有蛋白质，可以起到降压药的作用。

这个发现，在鸡蛋会增加患心脏病危险的说被打破的几天后被发现的。

现在看来鸡蛋可能对心脏有好处，通过血管紧张素转化酶抑制剂（处方药，全世界有数百万人只吃这种药丸）降血压的方式降低血压。药物通过抑制导致血管狭窄的荷尔蒙高血压素的分泌降低血压。

加拿大亚伯达大学的研究人员表示，鸡蛋与胃里的酶发生反应，产生一种蛋白质，它与药物控制血压的方式是相同的。

《农业与食品化学杂志》报道说：实验室测试表明，煎鸡蛋在控制高血压素方面是尤其有效的。但是一些由家禽工业提供资金进行研究的研究人员说，需要更多的工作来证明实验室外和人体内的效果。

本月早些时候，英国研究人员宣布，与大众的看法相反的是，上班前吃个鸡蛋对身体是有益健康的。由家禽工业部分自助的英国营养基金会的研究人员得出结论：鸡蛋中发现的胆固醇种类，对提高患心脏病风险的影响很小。

饱和脂肪是饮食中提高胆固醇水平的主要罪魁祸首，而不是在鸡蛋里所含的胆固醇。

吸烟，肥胖，以及缺乏锻炼都是影响血液脂肪胆固醇水平和心脏病的风险的因素。

萨里大学教授、研究员布鲁斯.格里芬：“我们必须把吃鸡蛋同高血液胆固醇和心脏病联系起来的根深蒂固的错误观念改正过来。”我们饮食中饱和脂肪含量对血液胆固醇发挥的影响，是相对少量的食物胆固醇的影响的好几倍。

英国公众没有必要限制每日鸡蛋的摄入量。“可以鼓励他们把鸡蛋列入到健康饮食里面，因为鸡蛋是自然界中最营养丰富的食品之一。”英国心脏基金会于2005年取消了限制每周吃三个鸡蛋的说法。然而，从一项投票发现，几乎一半的英国人认为这个说法仍然存在。…另外一片奶酪也许正好能预防癌症。吃奶酪和其他富含钙的奶制品能降低患癌症的风险。

根据美国一项有50万自愿者参加的调查，这样含钙的食物仿佛对肠癌和其他消化系统的癌症尤其有效。

研究人员用8年多的时间，跟踪了49万多成年人的健康饮食习惯。

正常情况下，一种与骨质健康有关的矿物质钙摄入最多的女性，比那些钙摄入量少的女性患肠、胃和其他消化道癌症的机率低23%。

对于男性来说，这个比例是16%，《内科医学档案期刊》报道说。

这些男性和女性，每日钙摄入量达到1500毫克以上，是食物标准局推荐摄入量的二倍以上。一个100克的楔形干酪能提供大约720毫克的钙。

马里兰的国立癌症研究所的研究人员指出：“钙已被证明，可以减少消化道内细胞的反常的增长，引导正常细胞代谢。”