Memory Can be Improved by Eating Eggs

Is eating eggs a healthy thing to do? Eggs have gotten a bad rap in the last couple of decades, due to them having a high level of cholesterol (all of it is in the yellow yolk). However, many researchers and doctors have recently concluded that the cholesterol in your diet may not always affect the cholesterol in your bloodstream. In other words, the fat that you eat in your diet may not necessarily cause any problems, such as heart disease. In fact, far from being a villain, cholesterol is actually very important for your body. It is used to make your hormones, and keep your body’s cell membranes supple and fluid. But cholesterol may not be the most important nutrient in eggs—the nutrient choline is also found in abundance in eggs as well, and may be just as important as cholesterol if not more so.

Choline is grouped with the B-vitamins, and is sometimes known as an “unofficial” B-vitamin. Choline is an essential nutrient, which means that it cannot be made inside the body—it has to be taken into the body from food or supplements. Eggs provide an excellent source of choline; one egg supplies 22% of the daily choline requirement for an adult.

Animal studies have shown that females who are given choline during pregnancy bear offspring that have excellent brain development and higher memory capabilities. Human studies have also shown that choline can be helpful in treating memory deficiencies in adults. One study done on college student food preferences revealed that over 85% of the adult students had dietary intakes of choline below the recommended level. Just think of how much better these students may perform if they had more choline in their diets.

Choline, however, is not the molecule that is responsible for improved memory—this honor goes to its chemical offspring, acetylcholine, which is converted from choline in the body. Acetylcholine is one of the most important signaling molecules in the body; the technical term is a neurotransmitter. It’s been shown that low acetylcholine levels in the brain leads to poor memory. Acetylcholine cannot be made without choline, hence choline’s importance in food. Choline is also available by itself as a supplement. Unfortunately, taking large amounts of supplemental choline can have some side effects.

The supplement lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) contains choline, and tends to have less side effects. One study found “a dramatic result in favor of lecithin” for the treatment of people with memory problems. Of course, someone could instead supplement their choline requirements by simply eating eggs. There are also eggs in the grocery store that now have enriched omega-3 fatty acids, which also help brain function in many ways. Many people choose to obtain health through diet and exercise alone instead of supplementing, and eggs appear to be a good dietary staple for them.