52-Year Study Links Eating Eggs to Better Memory in Women

The link between eating eggs and improved long-term memory and executive functioning is good news for women.

bluedog studio/Shutterstock

The latest tool in the fight against cognitive decline might be sitting in your refrigerator.

New research suggests that regularly eating eggs could be a simple yet effective way for women to maintain mental sharpness as they age.

The Sunny Side of Eggs

About two-thirds of Americans experience some degree of cognitive impairment by age 70. However, a recent study published in the journal Nutrients suggested that eating eggs may be a simple way to reduce our risk. The researchers found a link between egg consumption and improved semantic memory and executive functioning, particularly in female participants.

Semantic memory is a type of long-term memory that involves remembering facts, words, concepts, or numbers. Executive functioning encompasses mental processes that enable planning, focus, and impulse control.

The study authors wrote that they conducted this research due to inconsistent evidence regarding the role of dietary cholesterol in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in later life. Some cross-sectional studies had reported that a higher intake of cholesterol-rich foods was associated with lower cognitive performance, while others found no effect or benefit.

The authors suggested that while eggs are high in cholesterol, they also offer protein, nutrients, and antioxidants, which provide benefits that may outweigh the cholesterol concerns.

Study Details

Researchers analyzed data from 357 men and 533 women who participated in the Rancho Bernardo Study, a 52-year-long community-based observational study of people over 55.

They assessed participants’ egg intake from 1988 to 1991 using food frequency questionnaires. They also tested participants’ performance on various cognitive tasks, including language, orientation, attention, recall, executive function, mental flexibility, and visuomotor tracking (focusing on an object as it moves across the field of vision). The participants underwent a follow-up assessment of their cognitive function during another clinic visit between 1992 and 1996.

The findings showed that women who ate eggs more frequently experienced less decline in their fluency scores, which were used for language assessment or evaluation.

The findings also showed that the likelihood of cognitive decline in women decreased with each increase in egg consumption. Women who ate eggs more than five times per week showed a half-point less decline in category fluency over four years compared to those who never consumed eggs. Despite being small, the authors wrote, this association remained “significant” even after adjusting for behaviors, cholesterol levels, and calorie and protein intake, including further adjustments for diabetes and high blood pressure. No similar association was found in men.

It’s important to note that the study relied on self-reported information, which may not be entirely  accurate, and did not investigate how eggs might benefit cognition. However, the researchers did consider that eggs contain nutrients known to support brain health.

Balancing Benefits and Risks

One of the standout nutrients contained in eggs is choline, which helps produce acetylcholine. According to Christopher Mohr, a registered dietitian and a nutrition consultant to a number of major media outlets and corporations, acetylcholine is “a neurotransmitter that influences mood, memory, and overall cognitive functions, which is helpful for brain development and function.”

Mohr addressed concerns about cholesterol in eggs. “While many think that eggs have too much cholesterol,” he told The Epoch Times, “for most people, eggs most likely do not significantly impact blood cholesterol or increase the risk of heart disease.”

However, a question remains: Can we eat unlimited amounts of eggs every week?

Stephanie Schiff is a registered dietician nutritionist at Huntington Hospital in New York state, a part of Northwell Health. She told The Epoch Times that the answer depends on individual factors.

“We’ve learned in recent decades that dietary cholesterol does not affect a person’s serum cholesterol in most cases,” she said. “But that’s the problem, some people may be sensitive to the cholesterol in food, and their own cholesterol may rise if they eat too many high-cholesterol foods such as eggs.”

While the previous Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake not exceed 300 milligrams per day, Schiff said the current guidelines don’t set a specific limit.

“The cholesterol is all in the yolk,” she said. “You can eat as many whites as you want without raising your cholesterol.”