New study reveals surprising benefit of eating eggs for women

New study identified eggs to prevent cognitive decline in women and helps the brain stay sharp.

With age, cognitive health starts to deteriorate. Cognitive impairment is a matter of concern for aged people. A study published in Nutrients revealed that eggs help in lowering cognitive impairments. In women, the study found that eggs consumption is linked to better semantic memory and executive functioning. Semantic memory is a long-term memory that involves factual information and concepts about the world, while executive functioning is the mental process involved in organisational skills, planning, and attentional control. Memory and cognitive abilities weaken with ageing, but with regular egg consumption, this can be slowed.

Cognitive degeneration can be slowed by eating regular eggs. (Pixabay)

Maintaining cognitive health with eggs

The study was longitudinal and went over some time, to observe the effects of the dietary change with the introduction of frequent egg consumption. When egg consumption was increased in women, the likelihood of cognitive decline in women decreased by 0.1 points. Although in the end, no food can absolutely prevent cognitive decline in old age, it can mitigate the early risks. Especially, women who ate eggs more than five times a week experienced a half-point less decline over four years compared to those who never ate eggs.

Eggs’ nutrients

Despite being packed with protein and vitamins, eggs’ cholesterol content gives them a bad rep at times. However, the study showed that eggs did not have any detrimental effect on brain functioning. Instead, it slowly decreases the risk associated with old-age cognitive impairment. When consumed mindfully in moderation, the egg is a good source of nutrients that is good for brain health. But the researchers stated that the link between egg consumption and good cognitive health does not imply that eggs improve brain health. The study only uncovered the decreasing likelihood of early cognitive decline upon regular eggs consumption.