Overview
- A Journal of Nutrition analysis from Loma Linda University linked Adventist Health Study-2 with Medicare over about 15 years, tracking nearly 40,000 adults and 2,858 Alzheimer’s diagnoses, and it disclosed partial funding from the American Egg Board.
- People who ate eggs five or more times per week had up to a 27% lower Alzheimer’s risk compared with those who rarely or never ate them, with smaller intakes also linked to 17% to 20% lower risk.
- Researchers cite egg nutrients tied to brain function—choline, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3s and vitamin B12—which are concentrated in the yolk and may help explain the observed pattern.
- Experts and the authors stress the study is observational, used a health‑conscious Adventist cohort, and cannot prove cause and effect, so eggs should be considered within overall diet, exercise, sleep and vascular risk control.
- A substitution test showed similar association patterns when eggs were swapped with other protein foods such as nuts, seeds or legumes, suggesting that broader eating patterns may drive the benefit.