Want a healthy brain? Have eggs for breakfast


  • Previous research has linked eggs to both heart attacks and high blood pressure
  • These are widely known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in adults
  • But now scientists say eating eggs only slightly raises blood cholesterol levels  
  • Researchers also found consuming them can help people perform better in tests

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

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Having eggs for breakfast does not increase the risk of dementia, a new study has found.

In fact, eating them may actually help to boost brain functions, scientists now claim.

Full of dietary cholesterol, previous research has linked them to heart attacks, high blood pressure and weight gain.

It is widely known that conditions which damage the heart, arteries or blood circulation all increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

But research has discovered that eating eggs only slightly affects blood cholesterol levels.

Eating eggs may actually help to boost brain functions – despite previously being linked to dementia, new research suggests

Finnish researchers analysed the diets of 2,497 men aged between 42 and 60 who had no diagnosis of a memory disorder.

Over a period of 22 years, 337 had went onto develop a neurological condition – the majority suffering from Alzheimer’s.

In the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they found a third of these were carried of the gene APOE4.

This is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and dementia.

But while it is known people with the APOE4 gene are at increased risk of the latter, there is no guarantee they will develop it. 

Study author, Professor Jyrki Virtanen, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: ‘Neither cholesterol nor egg intake was associated with a higher risk of incident dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Full of dietary cholesterol, previous research has linked eggs them to heart attacks, high blood pressure and weight gain – all known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s

‘However, egg intake was associated with better performance on neuro-psychological tests of the frontal lobe and executive functioning.

‘The findings suggest a high-cholesterol diet or frequent consumption of eggs do not increase the risk of memory disorders even in persons who are genetically predisposed.’  

One large egg boasts six grams of high-quality protein and antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, found within the egg yolk, as well as vitamins E, D, and A. 

Vitamin E has previously been found to reduce the risk of future heart attacks in people with heart disease while lutein may help protect against clogging of the arteries. 

This comes after research in November found consuming just one egg a day reduces the risk of stroke by 12 per cent.

US scientists also found that consuming eggs had no association with coronary heart disease – the leading cause of death worldwide.  

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