Eating eggs daily may reduce risk of dementia – Scientists have come to these conclusions

In a recent study, Chinese scientists have suggested that eggs may be beneficial for older adults at risk for dementia.

According to WHO , dementia has been diagnosed in more than 55 million people in different countries of the world. According to experts’ forecasts, by the middle of the 21st century the number of people with dementia disorders of varying severity will grow to 152 million.

In 2020, a population-based study by the American Academy of Neurology found that a combination of certain healthy lifestyle factors reduced the likelihood of developing dementia by 60%. The top preventive measures among them were:

• moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity for at least two and a half hours per week;
• quitting smoking;
• limiting alcohol consumption ; 
• Mediterranean diet or MIND diet ;
• intellectual activity and support of cognitive activity.

China has the largest number of people with dementia, and its per capita egg consumption is twice the world average. There have been no previous studies on the impact of daily egg consumption on the mental health of Chinese residents. Scientists from Guangzhou were the first to study the diet of elderly compatriots and found that those who eat eggs only once a week are almost twice as likely to develop psychopathology as those who eat them daily.

But scientists refrain from claiming a direct link between egg consumption and the risk of developing dementia – this is only an assumption for now. Nevertheless, a study by scientists from the United States, the results of which were published in the spring of 2024, also showed lower risks of dementia against the background of frequent consumption of chicken eggs in food. It is possible that the very presence of the product in the diet indicates a person’s habit of generally adhering to the principles of healthy eating. 

Chicken eggs contain choline , which nourishes brain cells. This substance is also part of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter of the peripheral nervous system with many biological functions, many of which are associated with learning and memory processes.