Study: Egg consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?

[C C]

Study: Egg consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126842

INTRO: Consumption of eggs is associated with a lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease for those 65 years and older, according to researchers at Loma Linda University Health. Eating one egg per day for at least five days a week reduces risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 27%, researchers found.

“Compared to never eating eggs, eating at least five eggs per week can decrease risk of Alzheimer’s,” said Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, a professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and the study’s principal investigator.

Even less frequent consumption of eggs significantly reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that eating eggs 1 to 3 times per month had a 17% decrease in risk, while eating eggs 2 to 4 times per week had a 20% decrease in risk, Sabaté said.

The study, Egg intake and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort linked with Medicare data, was published last week in the Journal of Nutrition... (MORE - no ads)
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[TheVat]

Those biochemical pathways mentioned suggest that 7DAs, who eat very little animal protein, would especially benefit from the moderate egg consumption. It would be interesting to separately study a vegetarian cohort and see if the effect is greater than a more general population. As for vegans, I personally know one who has done that, i.e. carved out an exception for a daily free range egg. I've heard it's a pretty common "failure pathway" for former vegans. Lots of anecdotal "sweet effing Jesus I feel better!"

 

[parmalee]

Those biochemical pathways mentioned suggest that 7DAs, who eat very little animal protein, would especially benefit from the moderate egg consumption. It would be interesting to separately study a vegetarian cohort and see if the effect is greater than a more general population. As for vegans, I personally know one who has done that, i.e. carved out an exception for a daily free range egg. I've heard it's a pretty common "failure pathway" for former vegans. Lots of anecdotal "sweet effing Jesus I feel better!"

Over the past 40 years there've been a few periods of varying lengths--a few weeks to a few months, maybe--during which I consumed free range eggs with some regularity and I honestly can't say that I noticed a damn thing.

That said, the only dietary change for which I've ever noticed anything at all is when I eliminated slow-brew coffee (press, chemex, drip) entirely from my diet, so maybe I'm just not terribly sensitive to such things.

 

[geordief]

Over the past 40 years there've been a few periods of varying lengths--a few weeks to a few months, maybe--during which I consumed free range eggs with some regularity and I honestly can't say that I noticed a damn thing.

That said, the only dietary change for which I've ever noticed anything at all is when I eliminated slow-brew coffee (press, chemex, drip) entirely from my diet, so maybe I'm just not terribly sensitive to such things.

I have been drinking water more carefully lately (about the last 10 days).
By "carefully" I mean drinking small amounts quite often .

I haven't noticed any effects I was hoping for but one serendipitous effect seems to have occurred.

I noticed my vision was a bit clearer and post facto I have done a search on Google which seems to bear out my suspicion that hydration is in fact very important for blurry vision.(when I go into a shop without glasses I make a pinhole with
4 fingers or the index finger rolled up to the base of the thumb and can read the writing on the merchandise much better than otherwise)

I have my biennial eye test coming up so I can perhaps ask them then if my eyesight has in fact improved(I only need them for reading and watching tv)

 

[parmalee]

I have been drinking water more carefully lately (about the last 10 days).
By "carefully" I mean drinking small amounts quite often .

I haven't noticed any effects I was hoping for but one serendipitous effect seems to have occurred.

I noticed my vision was a bit clearer and post facto I have done a search on Google which seems to bear out my suspicion that hydration is in fact very important for blurry vision.(when I go into a shop without glasses I make a pinhole with
4 fingers or the index finger rolled up to the base of the thumb and can read the writing on the merchandise much better than otherwise)

I have my biennial eye test coming up so I can perhaps ask them then if my eyesight has in fact improved(I only need them for reading and watching tv)

Actually, water consumption is another dietary change (of a sort) for which I noticed a marked change. Some thirty-odd years ago, I ran out of water--and could not locate a source--in the high desert for about 48 hours. After that experience, I've always been very mindful of both water consumption and also just always carrying a reasonable (for the circumstance) amount of potable water on my person.

Most days I consume easily a gallon of water--I also only drink water, tea, and espresso (and very occassionally some sort of juice). And if I slack on my water intake for any lengthy period--say several hours, discounting sleep--I'm pretty quick to rectify the matter. Generally improved vision and markedly less proneness to migraines (any sort of headache, really) are the most significant changes for me.

 

[exchemist]

I am always rather sceptical of these epidemiological studies that purport to correlate some aspect of health with diet. We are inundated with the things since the press loves to either make our flesh creep or hold out the promise of eternal life, or youth, based on eating/not eating some damned thing or other. I'm not sure the "Loma Linda Seventh Day Adventist University" is a top notch academic institution either.

However at least in this case there is apparently some biochemical basis for a mechanism, which is a start I suppose. Though surely acetylcholine is synthesised in the body anyway, so is taking a supplement in the diet actually beneficial? Also do we know what possible confounding factors have been accounted for in the study?

 

[C C]

Over the past 40 years there've been a few periods of varying lengths--a few weeks to a few months, maybe--during which I consumed free range eggs with some regularity and I honestly can't say that I noticed a damn thing. [...]

Via just one egg a day, I've noticed effects on a medium-sized dog in terms of general health and faster wound healing (though the latter involves an increase to three eggs a day during the recovery period). He's twelve years old and still as mobile and active as when younger (hearing has deteriorated slightly, though). However, the quality of dog food is so horrible that anything you give them that features the missing nutrients is going to be noticeable. Just what the animal would normally be minus the equivalent of subsisting on a junk food diet.
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[TheVat]

Over the past 40 years there've been a few periods of varying lengths--a few weeks to a few months, maybe--during which I consumed free range eggs with some regularity and I honestly can't say that I noticed a damn thing.

Like I said, there's a lot of anecdote and few cohort studies. There are good vegans (know all the intricacies of their vitamin, mineral and amino balance needs) and bad vegans, and it's probably the latter who will notice improvement.

Also do we know what possible confounding factors have been accounted for in the study?

This is why I want to read the full paper on research like that. (There certainly will be confoundings if, e.g., they just used local volunteers in Loma Linda, the largest Adventist community in the US.) Given the variance in baseline diets, I tend to prefer just trying a dietary change and go with the feedback I get. Though personal feedback only works when it's a fairly blatant effect on energy level, skin quality, digestion, joint aches, etc. Effects like osteoporosis (or other gradual deficiency markers) are really not going to show in any reliable way.

And there's placebo effect, which seems fiendishly hard to deal with when it's a visible nutritional item. I mean, you can't feed people pretend-eggs in any convincing way.

 

[parmalee]

Like I said, there's a lot of anecdote and few cohort studies. There are good vegans (know all the intricacies of their vitamin, mineral and amino balance needs) and bad vegans, and it's probably the latter who will notice improvement.

Yeah, the mere fact of a person being vegan in no way guarantees that they're not simply eating a bunch of crap. I think that I've maintained a fairly decent and well-balanced diet since my early or mid twenties, so the impact of eggs would likely be lessened.

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Via just one egg a day, I've noticed effects on a medium-sized dog in terms of general health and faster wound healing (though the latter involves an increase to three eggs a day during the recovery period). He's twelve years old and still as mobile and active as when younger (hearing has deteriorated slightly, though). However, the quality of dog food is so horrible that anything you give them that features the missing nutrients is going to be noticeable. Just what the animal would normally be minus the equivalent of subsisting on a junk food diet.
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Most American dog foods do not even remotely meet the standards required for dog foods in the EU. The poisonous garbage which proliferates the market in the US disgusts me (that said, most American humans subsist largely on garbage, as well). We spend a small fortune on dog food which is both balanced/high quality as well as "ethically" manufactured. Dogs can survive on a vegan/vegetarian diet, but I think it's extremely difficult and I'd never subject my dogs to that. And as for cats, that's an obvious non-option.