Skip to content

Tag: egg consumption

Published on Leave a comment on Egg Consumption Is Beneficial For Brain Health

Remember when health advice was to limit egg consumption, that they had too much cholesterol, and to only eat egg whites? Well.... studies in the last decade have proven that advice as being 100% wrong for a number of reasons. It turns out that eggs are a great source of a number of nutrients (e.g., choline) needed for brain health and memory function.

A recent study found that frequent egg consumption by persons (mean age 59 years at the start of the study) lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The researchers found that there was a 27% decreased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among persons who ate at least 5 eggs a week, but even eating fewer eggs was beneficial. The participants were followed for 15 years.

Other studies have also found a decreased risk of AD in persons eating eggs frequently - with one study finding that more than one egg consumed per week reduced the risk of developing AD up to 47%.

Some key nutrients necessary for brain health that are provided by eggs are: choline, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, tryptophan, phospholipids, and an omega-3 fat known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The researchers viewed the nutrients in eggs as being "neuroprotective" (protecting neurological function).

From Medical Xpress: Egg consumption associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

Consumption of eggs is associated with a lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease for those 65 years and older, according to researchers at Loma Linda University Health. Eating one egg per day for at least five days a week reduces the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 27%, researchers found. ...continue reading "Egg Consumption Is Beneficial For Brain Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Health Benefits From Regularly Eating Eggs

Remember when for years eating eggs was viewed as unhealthy? And people were told to only eat egg whites? Well, well... how views have changed. Another recent study of 8756 older adults found that frequently eating eggs has health benefits - it is associated with a lower incidence of heart-disease related death and death from any cause.

How much lower? The study found a 29% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease death in relatively healthy older (70+ years) adults who ate eggs 1 to 6 times per week, when compared to adults who didn't eat eggs or ate them infrequently. The 1 to 6 times per week egg eaters also had a 17% lower rate of death from any cause, when compared to those who ate eggs infrequently or not at all.

Eggs are a great food. They are a good source of protein and essential nutrients, such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, choline (very important for the brain!), selenium, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), and numerous other minerals and trace elements. A large egg is about 72 calories and 6 grams of protein.

Other studies have similar findings, as well as a lower risk of diabetes and a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke in those consuming eggs frequently.

From Medical Xpress: Regularly eating eggs supports a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, finds study

Regular consumption of eggs is associated with a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death in relatively healthy older adults, new research from a Monash University-led team has found. ...continue reading "Health Benefits From Regularly Eating Eggs"

Published on Leave a comment on Eating An Egg A Day May Be Beneficial?

Remember all the dietary advice that for years told us to avoid or limit consumption of eggs - that since they were high in cholesterol, they were bad for us and would increase our risk for heart disease? And the nonsense that we should only eat the egg whites while throwing out the yolks? Hah...That advice was wrong, which another recent study confirms.

Eggs are an amazingly nutritious food. They’re loaded with high quality protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, high in choline (a brain nutrient), biotin, antioxidants, lutein, and zeaxanthin. One review of studies (involving millions of people) looked at whole egg consumption  and found that high egg consumption (up to one egg per day) is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke, and in fact there was a reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Only among diabetics was there an elevated risk of coronary heart disease with high egg consumption (up to 1 egg per day). Another study found a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men (see post).

A recent study from Finland found that neither cholesterol nor egg intake (eating one egg per day) was associated with an increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease in Finnish men who were followed for 22 years. Instead, eating eggs was associated with better cognitive performance in certain areas such as executive function, which includes memory, problem solving, and planning (they were given neuropsychological tests). From Science Daily:

High cholesterol intake and eggs do not increase risk of memory disorders

A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that a relatively high intake of dietary cholesterol, or eating one egg every day, are not associated with an elevated risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, no association was found in persons carrying the APOE4 gene variant that affects cholesterol metabolism and increases the risk of memory disorders. APOE4 is common in Finland.

The dietary habits of 2,497 men aged between 42 and 60 years and with no baseline diagnosis of a memory disorder were assessed at the onset the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, KIHD, in 1984-1989 at the University of Eastern Finland. During a follow-up of 22 years, 337 men were diagnosed with a memory disorder, 266 of them with Alzheimer's disease. 32.5 per cent of the study participants were carriers of APOE4.

The study found that a high intake of dietary cholesterol was not associated with the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease -- not in the entire study population nor in the carriers of APOE4. Moreover, the consumption of eggs, which are a significant source of dietary cholesterol, was not associated with the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. On the contrary, the consumption of eggs was associated with better results in certain tests measuring cognitive performance.