Australian investigators have found that patients who consumed two or more eggs per week reduced their risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) by 62% compared to those who consumed 1 or fewer. More than 3,600 patients from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, aged 49+ years, were examined across a 15-year follow-up period.
2,034 participants with AMD were identified with complete information about their egg consumption and AMD status over the study period. The participants were questioned about their total intake of all kinds of eggs, prepared in various styles, then they were categorized into groups based on the number of eggs consumed within a week. Participants who reported eating between two and four eggs per week at baseline had a 62% reduced risk of wAMD after 15 years compared to those who consumed 1 egg or less per week at baseline. No significant links were found between egg consumption and early dry AMD.
The study was done at the University of Sydney School of Medicine under the leadership of Bamini Gopinath, PhD, lead investigator and associate professor at the university. According to Dr. Gopinath, no added benefit was observed in those who consumed more than one or more eggs per day.
A likely reason for the benefit of egg consumption is that they are a rich source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which, like dark green leafy vegetables, are recommended for their high antioxidant value.
Source: “Consumption of eggs and the 15-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration,” (The Clinical Nutrition Journal)