There is an equivocal and inconsistent association between legume consumption and health outcomes and longevity. The purpose of this study was to examine and quantify the potential dose–response relationship between legume consumption and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the general population. We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed/Medline, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Embase from inception to September 2022, as well as reference lists of relevant original papers and key journals. A random-effects model was used to calculate summary HRs and their 95% CIs for the highest and lowest categories, as well as for a 50 g/d increment. We also modeled curvilinear associations using a 1-stage linear mixed-effects meta-analysis. Thirty-two cohorts (31 publications) involving 1,141,793 participants and 93,373 deaths from all causes were included. Higher intakes of legumes, compared with lower intakes, were associated with a reduced risk of mortality from all causes (HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.91, 0.98; n = 27) and stroke (HR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.99; n = 5). There was no significant association for CVD mortality (HR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.09; n =11), CHD mortality (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.09; n = 5), or cancer mortality (HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.01; n = 5). In the linear dose–response analysis, a 50 g/d increase in legume intake was associated with a 6% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89, 0.99; n = 19), but no significant association was observed for the remaining outcomes. The certainty of evidence was judged from low to moderate. A higher legume intake was associated with lower mortality from all causes and stroke, but no association was observed for CVD, CHD, and cancer mortality. These results support dietary recommendations to increase the consumption of legumes.

The association between egg consumption and mortality is extremely debatable. This study aimed to investigate the potential dose-response association of egg consumption with risk of mortality from all-causes and cause-specific in the general population. The primary comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Embase up to March 2021, as well as reference lists of relevant original papers and key journals. We calculated summary relative risks (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the highest and lowest categories, as well as the linear trend estimation of egg intake, using the random effects model. Thirty-three (32 publications) cohort studies were included. These studies enrolled 2,216,720 participants and recorded 232,408 deaths from all causes. Comparing highest vs. lowest egg intake categories was not associated with the risk of mortality from all-causes (RR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.11, n =25), CVD (RR:1.04; 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.23, n =11), CHD (RR: 0.98; 95%CI: 0.84 to 1.16, n =10), stroke (RR: 0.81; 95%CI: 0.64 to 1.02, n=9), and respiratory disease (RR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.71, n =3); however, it was associated with a higher risk of cancer mortality (RR: 1.20; 95%CI: 1.04 to 1.39, n =13). In the linear dose-response analysis, an additional one egg intake per week was associated with a 2% and 4% increased risk of all-cause and cancer mortality, respectively, and a 4% decreased risk of stroke mortality. The certainty of the evidence was rated as low to moderate. Higher egg consumption was not associated with an increased risk of mortality from all-causes, CVD, CHD, stroke, or respiratory disease, whereas an elevated risk was observed for cancer mortality. These findings suggested that eggs be consumed in low to moderate amounts (up to one egg/d) as part of a healthy diet.