Study Shows Eating More Than One Egg Per Week Reduces Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk by 47%

The 2024 Journal of Nutrition study analyzed the relationship between egg consumption and Alzheimer’s dementia risk and brain pathology in older adults through data from 1,024 Rush Memory and Aging Project participants who were followed for 6.7 years on average. The research showed that eating more than one egg per week reduced Alzheimer’s dementia risk by 47% and eating two or more eggs per week produced comparable protective benefits. The brain autopsy results of 578 participants revealed that higher egg consumption reduced their odds of Alzheimer’s pathology by 49% for those who ate more than one egg weekly and by 38% for those who ate at least two eggs weekly. The protective effect of eggs on brain health was found to be mediated by dietary choline which makes up 39% of the total protective effect according to mediation analysis. The study demonstrates a strong link between moderate egg consumption and brain health but its observational design prevents establishing causation and the results might be most relevant for older adults with characteristics matching the study participants.

Reference:

Pan, Y., Devore, E. E., Grodstein, F., & Morris, M. C. (2024). Association of egg intake with Alzheimer’s dementia risk in older adults: The Rush Memory and Ageing Project. Journal of Nutrition. Advance online publication. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38782209/

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