Eggs are a dietary paradox: high in cholesterol but rich in brain-boosting nutrients, including choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin. While some studies indicate that eggs maintain cognitive health, others report the converse. A recent study found that eating eggs may help women preserve semantic memory—crucial for language comprehension and factual recall—as they age.

Researchers analyzed data from 890 adults aged 55 and older. Participants reported their egg consumption using a food frequency questionnaire, and researchers measured their memory and thinking skills at two clinic visits about four years apart.

They found that women who ate five eggs weekly experienced less decline in verbal fluency, a measure of semantic memory, than those who ate fewer eggs. In men, researchers found no clear relationship between egg intake and changes in cognitive performance. Eating eggs did not appear to harm cognitive function in either sex.

These findings suggest that eggs play a small but beneficial role in preserving memory in women. They also align with other research demonstrating that people with moderate choline intake—roughly the amount in two eggs—are about half as likely to have low cognitive function than those with the lowest intake.