The 1960s advertising slogan, "Go to work on an egg," may have offered sound dietary advice, according to new research that found an egg a day may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Consumption of up to one egg daily was linked with lower rates of strokes and heart disease, according to the research published in journal Heart.

Daily consumers also had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease when compared to those who did not eat eggs.

The researchers, from Peking University Health Science Centre, examined data from 416,213 participants in China.

At the start of the study, 13.1% of participants reported daily consumption of eggs and 9.1% said they never or rarely ate them.