One of the scariest diseases along with cancer is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a severe form of dementia that occurs in millions of Australians and the numbers just seem to be increasing. There are very new drugs out on the market that can reduce the plaque build-up in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease patients but the results, while promising are mixed.
Obviously, the best way to treat Alzheimer’s disease is to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Twenty years ago, this disease was an absolute mystery where people would get it and some people wouldn’t and we didn’t know why some people got the disease and some people didn’t. Recent research has uncovered some factors such as genetic factors and lifestyle factors which can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
One such study is what we call a prospective study where we look at people who have developed Alzheimer’s disease and see what lifestyle factors have increased or decreased their risk of developing this disease. We now of course exercise prevents Alzheimer’s disease along with taking things like fish oils and other supplements but there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent study looked at egg consumption and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For many years eggs were demonised because they contained cholesterol and saturated fats which were once thought to cause heart disease but have since been debunked. We are now looking at eggs as multivitamins and we are examining the nutrients and proteins In Eggs Which Provide Excellent Health Benefits. In a 2026 Study, researchers examined whether egg consumption could reduce Alzheimer’s Disease. Data was drawn from the Adventist Health Study-2, a large, prospective cohort of United States Seventh-day Adventists, linked with Medicare records to identify Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Diet and lifestyle factors were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Egg consumption was categorized by frequency, ranging from never/rarely to ≥5 times per week. The analytic sample included 39,498 participants (mean follow-up: 15.3 y), among whom 2858 developed Alzheimer’s disease.
What they found was that egg consumption reduced Alzheimer’s disease incidence. And the more eggs the better! Compared with never/rarely consuming eggs, HRs (95% CIs) after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, food groups, and comorbidities were 0.83 (0.75, 0.92) for 1-3 times per month, 0.83 (0.74, 0.94) for once per week, 0.80 (0.71, 0.90) for 2-4 times per week, and 0.73 (0.60, 0.89) for ≥5 times per week. In the spline model, zero egg intake was curvilinearly associated with an adjusted HR of 1.22 (1.11, 1.34). So, any number less than one rec-duces the risk, and above one increases the risk.
The take home message here is that you can consume eggs for your eye health, your heart health, your muscles but also it seems from studies like this one and others Eggs also benefit your brain and prevent you somewhat from developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Reference: Oh J, Oda K, Chiriac G, Fraser GE, Sirirat R, Sabaté J. Egg Intake and the Incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Adventist Health Study-2 Cohort Linked with Medicare Data. J Nutr. 2026 Apr 17;156(6):101541. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101541. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42002260.
About the Author, Stephen Eddey
Stephen Eddey is a qualified health practitioner, educator, and consultant with extensive training in chemistry, naturopathy, and health science. He holds an Associate Diploma in Chemistry, a Diploma of Applied Science (Naturopathy), a Bachelor of Complementary Medicine, and a Master of Health Science, with postgraduate research focused on the treatment of obesity using low-carbohydrate diets. Stephen has held senior technical roles within the natural health industry, including Technical Consultant at Metagenics, and has over 10 years’ experience teaching Naturopathy. He currently works as a Consultant with ATP Science in Brisbane and is an accredited member of the CMA, applying an evidence-based, preventative approach to health and education.