Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, May 8: A recent study has suggested that moderate egg consumption may be associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among older adults, highlighting the possible role of diet in maintaining brain health.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by amyloid-beta plaque accumulation, neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal loss, eventually leading to cognitive decline and death. It is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, with annual management costs projected to exceed USD 600 billion by 2050.

Researchers used data from the Adventist Health Study-2 involving more than 96,000 participants to examine the relationship between egg intake and Alzheimer’s disease risk. The analysis focused on 39,498 participants aged 65 years and above whose health records were linked with Medicare claims.

Dietary intake was assessed at baseline using a validated food frequency questionnaire that recorded both visible and hidden egg consumption. Researchers classified intake frequencies ranging from never consuming eggs to five or more times per week.

Over an average follow-up period of 15.3 years, 2,858 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the findings, individuals who consumed eggs moderately showed a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who rarely or never consumed eggs. Researchers found that moderate egg intake — between one to three times per month or once per week — was associated with a significantly lower relative risk.

The study reported that any level of egg consumption corresponded to a 17 to 27 per cent lower relative hazard of Alzheimer’s disease compared to no egg intake.

Researchers also observed that the inverse relationship remained consistent even after adjusting for demographic factors, lifestyle habits, comorbidities and intake of other food groups.

The study suggested that nutrients found in eggs, including choline, DHA, lutein, zeaxanthin, phospholipids and vitamin B12, could potentially contribute to brain health, although the exact mechanisms were not directly examined.

Sensitivity analyses excluding vegans showed similar results, strengthening the consistency of the findings.

However, researchers cautioned that the observational nature of the study means residual confounding factors cannot be ruled out completely. Dietary intake was measured only at the beginning of the study, which may not reflect long-term dietary changes.

The study also relied on Medicare records, which may have missed milder or undiagnosed Alzheimer’s cases.

Researchers further noted that the study population mainly consisted of relatively health-conscious Seventh-day Adventists with low smoking and alcohol consumption rates, which could limit the applicability of the findings to the general population.

The analysis received support from an investigator-initiated grant by the American Egg Board, though the authors stated the funder had no role in the study design, analysis or publication decisions.

Researchers have called for further studies involving more diverse populations and long-term dietary tracking to better understand the possible neuroprotective effects of egg-derived nutrients.