One of the few foods that truly qualifies as a "superfood" is eggs. They contain an abundance of nutrients, some of which are scarce in today's diet.

Which Health Benefits of Eggs Are Known to Exist?

(Source: Google Images )

It has been demonstrated that consuming one egg each day is safe for most people.  It provides a satisfying blend of fat and protein and is packed with a variety of vital vitamins and minerals, including fat-soluble vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K; choline, a nutrient crucial to fetal development in pregnancy; and antioxidants that protect eyesight, such as lutein and zeaxanthin.  Eggs are safe to eat even for those with type 2 diabetes, who are more likely to develop heart disease.

Recent Findings  ~

(Source: Google Images )

The study, which was just published in the journal Nutrients, discovered a connection between women who consume eggs and improved executive functioning and semantic memory.  Egg consumption with 4-year changes in cognitive function in older men and women: ‘The Rancho Bernardo Study’, Kritz-Silverstein D, Bettencourt R. 2024.

The study's principal investigator, Donna Kritz-Silverstein, PhD, is a professor at the University of California San Diego's School of Public Health and Department of Family Medicine. She said, “Prior literature on the association of dietary cholesterol levels with cognitive function is inconsistent with some studies showing a negative effect, others showing a positive effect, and still others showing no effect.”

Because of the discrepancy, the research team was able to "evaluate whether egg consumption was related to the change in cognitive performance over four years in a large sample of older men and women who resided in the community," the spokesperson stated.
 

More Eggs and Improved Mental Health  ~

(Source: Google Images )

Researchers extracted data from 890 persons (357 men and 533 women) who took part in the Rancho Bernardo Study, a long-term community-based observational cohort study, to examine the impact of eggs on cognitive functioning. The average age of the participants was between 70 and 72, and all of them were over 55. 

Food frequency questionnaires were used between 1988 and 1991 to measure participant egg intake. Performance tests measuring global cognitive functioning, including language, direction, attention, recall, executive function, mental flexibility, and visuomotor tracking, were also administered to participants by researchers over those years. Between 1992 and 1996, those skills were reevaluated, with an average interval of four years between visits.

According to the study, 16.5% of women and 14% of men said they had never eaten eggs. On the other hand, about 4% of women and 7% of men said they ate eggs more than five times a week. In general, men consumed more eggs than women did; they were more likely to eat them twice a week or more frequently than five times. It was more common for women to consume one to three eggs each month or not eat any at all. 

Fluency scores, which measure semantic memory and executive function, declined less in women who consumed more eggs, according to the data, even after controlling for lifestyle decisions, medical conditions, and protein, calorie, and cholesterol intake.

The chance of a woman developing cognitive deterioration dropped by 0.1 for each category increase in egg consumption. "For both men and women, egg consumption was not associated with decline on any of the measures of cognitive performance we used, suggesting that egg intake may have a role in the maintenance of cognitive function," Kritz-Silverstein said, adding that the researchers did not find any similar relationships in men.
 

It's All About Balance ~

(Source: Google Images )

Ultimately, it's recommended to have moderation and balance across the key food categories when it comes to eating to enhance brain health. This needs to be pointed out that no particular diet or way of living will inevitably stop cognitive deterioration. Alternatively saying out loud ~ Don't put all your eggs in one basket!