By Sarah Garone
- New research links egg consumption with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- The study found that eating eggs just one to three times per month was associated with a 17% lower risk.
- However, the findings show only an association between eggs and Alzheimer’s risk, not a cause-and-effect relationship.
Your favorite breakfast food may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. That’s according to a recent study, which found that eating at least one egg five days a week was associated with a 27% lower risk of developing the disease in older adults.
Previous research has also linked egg consumption to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, but Jisoo Oh, DrPH, MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology at Loma Linda University and author of the new paper, said the recent study was among the largest and longest to examine the relationship.
The Link Between Eggs and Brain Health
Eggs have long been known for their brain-friendly nutrients, but Oh said researchers wanted to better understand whether those compounds could translate into a meaningful reduction in Alzheimer’s risk.
About than 7 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s, and a growing body of research suggests that diet may play a role in slowing cognitive decline.
To investigate the potential link between eggs and Alzheimer’s risk, researchers analyzed data from more than 39,000 people aged 65 and older who were included in the Adventist Health Study-2, which has tracked participants’ health information for more than 20 years. Over an average follow-up period of 15 years, participants reported details about their eating habits, including how often they consumed eggs. Responses ranged from “never/rarely” to more than five times per week.
After comparing egg consumption frequency with Alzheimer’s diagnoses, researchers found a notable trend: People who ate eggs were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The more eggs consumed, the better the outcomes, it appeared. Even after adjusting for lifestyle factors and preexisting health conditions, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s was 17% lower among people who ate eggs one to three times a month. The reduction jumped to 20% for a weekly consumption of two to four times per week and 27% for at least five times.
Study Limitations
The findings may have you reaching for the egg carton, but Oh stressed caution about relying too heavily on them to ward off Alzheimer’s. As an observational study, the research doesn’t prove eggs prevent Alzheimer’s disease. “Rather, they may be one component of a brain-healthy dietary pattern,” she said.
A major limitation of the study, noted private practice dietitian Kelly Burgess, MBA, RD, LDN, is that it focused on Seventh-Day Adventists, a group that generally has healthier lifestyle habits than the average population. That makes it hard to know if the lower Alzheimer’s risk was specifically caused by eating eggs or by other aspects of participants’ lifestyle. It also means the findings may not be applicable to the general public.
Why Eggs Might Support Brain Health
Still, eggs contain a few compounds that may give them brain-boosting potential. One of the main ones is choline, an organic compound highly concentrated in eggs—one large hard-boiled egg contains 27% of the Daily Value.
Choline helps produce acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory, learning, and attention, Burgess said. “This matters because people with Alzheimer’s disease often have lower acetylcholine levels and damage to the brain cells that produce it,” she said. “In fact, several Alzheimer’s medications are designed to help preserve this brain chemical.”
Eggs also contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which “may help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in neural tissues,” Oh said, as well as omega-3s and phospholipids, healthy fats that support cell structure, signaling, and protection of neurons.
Other Habits That Support Brain Health
Of course, enjoying a morning scramble isn’t the only dietary choice that may support sharper thinking. “When it comes to protecting the brain, research keeps pointing in the same direction,” Burgess said. “Plant-forward eating patterns appear to matter.” Diets such as the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH, which are built around plants, have been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, she said.
Other lifestyle factors play a role, too. Getting regular exercise, quality sleep, intellectual stimulation, and social support may all help prevent cognitive decline.
In short, a brain-healthy lifestyle involves many components working together, Burgess said. “The bottom line is that daily habits shape brain health.”
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