Overview
- The Journal of Nutrition reported an analysis of nearly 39,500 adults aged 65 and older in the Adventist Health Study-2 linked to Medicare, followed for an average of 15.3 years with 2,858 Alzheimer’s diagnoses.
- Risk fell in a graded pattern, with five or more weekly servings tied to a 27% lower diagnosis rate and even 1–3 monthly servings tied to a 17% lower rate compared with never or rare intake.
- The inverse link held after adjusting for demographics, health conditions, physical activity, sleep, and overall diet, and it persisted when vegans were excluded and in models swapping eggs for nuts, seeds, or legumes.
- Eggs provide choline, DHA omega-3, and carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin that support nerve signaling and brain cell structure, which offers a plausible biological explanation for the finding.
- Key limits include diet measured only at enrollment, a health-conscious Adventist cohort that may not reflect the general public, and diagnoses captured through Medicare billing that can miss milder cases, with authors disclosing an American Egg Board grant that did not influence the work.