Cracking cognition: Moderate egg consumption may boost certain brain functions

By Nathan Gray

- Last updated on GMT

Eggs for heads? 'Egg intake was associated with better performance on neuropsychological tests...' @iStock/jarabee123
Eggs for heads? 'Egg intake was associated with better performance on neuropsychological tests...' @iStock/jarabee123

Related tags Alzheimer's disease Memory Alzheimer’s disease

Eating eggs can improve aspects of cognition, according to research that also concludes neither high intake of cholesterol or eggs are associated with an increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, involving almost 2,500 Finnish men, aimed to test a suggested link between intakes of cholesterol (and eggs as a major source of dietary cholesterol) and cognitive decline in both the general population and in a group of people genetically ‘at risk’ of dementia.

Led by Maija Ylilauri from the University of Eastern Finland, the team found that a relatively high intake of dietary cholesterol, or eating one egg every day, was not associated with an increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Furthermore, no link was found in people carrying the APOE4 gene – a gene that is known to affect cholesterol metabolism and increase the risk of memory disorders.

“Neither cholesterol nor egg intake is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia or AD in Eastern Finnish men,”​ said the team.“Instead, moderate egg intake may have a beneficial association with certain areas of cognitive performance.”

Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ​the Finnish research team said the results suggest that a high-cholesterol diet, or frequent consumption of eggs, does not increase the risk of memory disorders – even in persons who are genetically predisposed to a greater effect of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol levels than others because of the APOE4 gene.

A beneficial effect?

Instead, the research data suggested that a moderate intake of eggs may actually offer certain cognitive benefits.

We investigated the associations of cholesterol and egg intakes with incident dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older men from Eastern Finland,”​ explained the team.

A total of 2,497 dementia-free men, aged between 42 and 60 years old during the recruitment window (1984–1989) were enrolled in the study, however Ylilauri and colleagues noted that information on the Apo-E phenotype was available for 1,259 men.

During an average follow-up time of almost 22 years, the team reported that 337 men were diagnosed with dementia, while 266 men were diagnosed with AD.

While neither cholesterol nor egg intake was found to be associated with a higher risk of incident dementia or AD, the team did identify a possible link between egg consumption and better memory.

cognitive brain mental memory ageing depression iStock Dmitrii Kotin
©iStock/Dmitrii Kotin

“Egg intake was associated with better performance on neuropsychological tests of the frontal lobe and executive functioning, the Trail Making Test, and the Verbal Fluency Test,”​ Ylilauri and colleagues wrote.

They concluded that while the current study found no link between dietary cholesterol and the incidence of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, since the study participants with the highest daily intake consumed an average of 520 mg of dietary cholesterol, the findings cannot be generalised beyond these levels.

 

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.116.146753
“Association of dietary cholesterol and egg intakes with the risk of incident dementia or Alzheimer disease: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study”
Authors: Maija PT Ylilauri, et al

Related news

Related products

show more

Healthy ageing: a food supplement from Biofarma Group

Healthy ageing: a food supplement from Biofarma Group

Content provided by Biofarma Group | 26-Feb-2024 | White Paper

Worldwide, the percentage of people over 65 and 80 years of age is steadily increasing. However, as society continues to age, people do not necessarily...

Nootropics Report 2.0: Brain Health Insights

Nootropics Report 2.0: Brain Health Insights

Content provided by dsm-firmenich | 20-Feb-2024 | Insight Guide

The brain health market is constantly growing and evolving, with more consumers looking for innovative ways to support total mind and body wellness.

Sweetening solution for active nutrition

Sweetening solution for active nutrition

Content provided by ADM | 19-Feb-2024 | Case Study

When you add GrainSweet® Liquid Maltodextrin to your active nutrition applications, you get the production efficiencies, clean labels, and clean tastes...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars