We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how everything from falling in older age to certain weather conditions may increase your risk of developing dementia.
Luckily, scientists think lifestyle factors like exercising, not smoking, and possibly even drinking tea might lower those odds ― in fact, the Lancet has shared a list of 14 “modifiable” risk factors for dementia.
Recent research published in the journal Nutrients suggests that a common breakfast ingredient could also offer prevention against the condition among older people.
The paper found that study participants who ate one egg a day were less likely to develop dementia than those who ate them weekly or less.
The scientists looked at the diets of older adults (74 on average), half of whom had dementia and half of whom did not.
They found that weekly egg eaters were 1.7 times more likely to have dementia than daily egg eaters; monthly egg eaters were roughly four times more likely.
The researchers say in their paper that that doesn’t prove that eating eggs daily causes the decrease; instead, they only suggest a link.
However, they point to another study published this year that looked at the diets of over a thousand older people.
That study also suggested “that frequent egg consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.”
“Eggs are nutrient-dense food and a good source of choline, folate, vitamin D, iodine, B vitamins, and high-quality protein,” researchers said.
“The protective effect of daily egg consumption against dementia in older adults may be attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds and numerous other nutrients such as high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and vitamins.”
Dr Elizabeth Mills, the Assistant Director of Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, pointed out that people who eat eggs more often likely have healthier overall diets.
“Since eggs generally have an excellent nutritional profile, the relationship observed between egg consumption as part of a nutritious diet and reduced odds of dementia was not particularly surprising,” she said.
“One of the key brain-building nutrients found in high abundance in eggs is choline,” she added.
“It is incorporated into acetylcholine, which is one of the chemical messengers used for communication in the brain, and essential for the processes of learning and memory.”
Researchers say that more research is needed to find out exactly how helpful eggs may be for preventing memory loss.
