Weak memory or losing sharpness of mind are common consequences of ageing. Approximately two out of every three American adults will experience some level of cognitive impairment by the age of 70. However, a recent study suggests eating eggs can make your brain sharper.
The research, published in the journal Nutrients, found a link between egg consumption and better semantic memory and executive functioning in women.
It states that eggs can prevent cognitive decline in women who are older. It can help in improving our semantic memory as well as executive functioning of the brain, such as self control, flexibility and use of skills. However, the study makes no claims about eggs improving brain health.
Eat More Eggs, Better Cognitive Health
To test the effects of eggs on cognitive functioning, researchers pulled data on 890 adults (357 men and 533 women) who participated in the Rancho Bernardo Study, a long-term community-based observational cohort study. All participants were over 55, and the average age was between 70 and 72.
Participant egg intake was assessed between 1988 and 1991 through food frequency questionnaires. Researchers also gave participants performance tests between those years examining global cognitive functioning, such as language, orientation, attention, recall, executive function, mental flexibility, and visuomotor tracking. Those skills were reassessed between 1992 and 1996, with the average time between visits being about four years.
The researchers found that 14% of men and 16.5% of women reported never eating eggs. In contrast, 7% of men and nearly 4% of women reported consuming eggs over five times per week.
Generally, men had higher rates of egg consumption than women, being more likely to consume them two to four times or more than five times weekly. Women were more likely to either not eat eggs or eat one to three per month.
After adjusting for lifestyle choices, medical diagnoses, and protein, calorie, and cholesterol intake, the evidence showed that women who consumed more eggs had less decline in fluency scores, which assess semantic memory and executive function.
With every categorical increase in egg consumption, the likelihood of a woman experiencing cognitive decline decreased by 0.1.
In other words, women who ate eggs more than five times per week had a half point less decline in category fluency over four years than those who never consumed eggs.
