October 23, 2024, 9:24 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Many people don’t want to go without their breakfast egg, especially in the morning. But how many eggs are actually healthy? Opinions differ on this question. However, a new study shows that eating eggs can protect against dementia.
Whether it is a fried egg, scrambled egg, or hard-boiled egg, there are many ways to eat this animal product. For a long time, however, this popular food was said to be an unhealthy cholesterol bomb. However, some studies have shown that its consumption does not appear to have a negative impact on cholesterol levels. Recent studies have even shown that eating eggs every day may have a benefit – in terms of protecting against dementia!
Overview
Recruitment of people with dementia
Researchers from China randomly recruited participants from July to October 2020 for the case-control study on community health centers in the city of Guangzhou and the country’s dementia management system.1 All patients who had been diagnosed with dementia within the past year were included in the study. The control group, on the other hand, included people who had not been diagnosed with dementia. The following exclusion criteria applied to both groups:
- Epilepsy
- Meningioma or other tumors
- Severe psychiatric illnesses
Surveying egg consumption
This procedure resulted in a cohort of 233 participants and a control group of 233 people. Overall, the average age was 73.6 years. All subjects were invited to an interview based on a validated Chinese questionnaire, which asked about general health, risk factors, and nutrient intake over the past two years. Egg consumption was divided into five categories:
- Category 1: No consumption of eggs or less than one egg per month.
- Category 2: More than one egg per month but less than one per week.
- Category 3: More than one egg per week, but less than one per day.
- Category 4: Daily consumption, but less than two eggs per day.
- Category 5: Two or more eggs per day.
Higher consumption of eggs appeared to reduce the risk of dementia
The researchers observed that people with dementia smoked more often, ate more red meat, and consumed less fruit, vegetables, and fish than the control group. They were also more likely to suffer from diseases such as Parkinson’s, strokes, and heart disease. Regarding the consumption of eggs, regardless of whether the people had dementia, the following distribution was recorded:
- Category 1: 13.5 percent of participants
- Category 2: Twelve percent of participants
- Category 3: 36.7 percent of participants
- Category 4: 35 percent of participants
- Category 5: Three percent of participants
The fewer eggs consumed, the higher the risk of dementia appeared to be. This means that people who ate eggs weekly, monthly, or not at all were more likely to develop dementia than those who consumed the animal product more regularly. However, the scientists were unable to detect any significant difference between participants who consumed one egg a day and those who ate two or more eggs.
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Classification of the study
Even though the study claims to have shown a link between higher egg consumption and a lower risk of dementia, there are a number of factors that could reduce the significance of the results.
It is important to note that the information provided by the participants was based on their individual assessment of egg consumption. For example, the scientists asked about food intake over the past two years, which could have resulted in incorrect information due to faulty memory.
In addition, the researchers only used participants from China, which is why it is not clear whether the results would also apply to other population groups. Furthermore, the study size was relatively small, with 233 dementia patients and 233 non-dementia patients.
Furthermore, the study design does not provide causal evidence that egg consumption directly reduced the risk of dementia. The study only demonstrated a correlation between higher egg consumption and a lower risk of dementia. It is also not clear to what extent other dietary routines and lifestyle factors played a role. It is reasonable to assume this, as no single food can singularly prevent or cause diseases. However, egg enthusiasts can take comfort in the growing body of evidence suggesting that eggs have been unfairly vilified for too long.