Study indicates regular egg consumption could reduce risk of developing age-related macular degeneration
Author: Westmead Institute for Medical Research
A new epidemiological study conducted by researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research indicates that regular consumption of eggs could reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The study, published online in The Clinical Nutrition Journal, aimed to investigate the relationship between total intake of eggs and the 15-year incidence of AMD.
AMD is a chronic condition affecting the central macula that can cause a progressive loss of central vision. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness in Australia, responsible for 50 per cent of cases of blindness.
Age is a risk factor for macular degeneration, with people aged 50 and over most frequently affected. However, AMD is not a normal or certain part of ageing.
Important findings
Lead investigator, Assoc Professor Bamini Gopinath from the Centre for Vision Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research says that, to date, no epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between total egg intake and the risk of developing AMD.
“The findings of this study are therefore important as they indicate a significant and independent association between the moderate consumption of eggs and lower risk of developing late AMD.*
“Specifically, participants who consumed two to four eggs per week versus those who consumed less than one egg per week had 49 per cent reduced risk of developing late AMD after 15 years.
“The results were more significant for those participants who developed the wet’ form of late AMD. In those participants whose age of AMD onset was at the 5- or 10-year follow-up stage of the study, consumption of 2-4 and 5-6 eggs per week was associated with 54 per cent and 65 per cent reduced risk of late AMD, respectively.”
Assoc Professor Bamini Gopinath adds, “However, there does appears to be a threshold to the benefit of egg consumption in relation to AMD risk as no added benefit was observed in those who consumed an average of one or more eggs per day.”
Lutein and zeaxanthin
Eggs also represent a cost-effective and rich source of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin.
“While eggs contain less lutein and zeaxanthin than dark-green leafy vegetables, lutein and zeaxanthin are better absorbed by the body when sourced from eggs,” says Assoc Professor Gopinath.
While this initial study strongly indicates the potential of regular egg consumption to help reduce the risk of AMD, Assoc Professor Gopinath encourages more studies to verify these findings.
The study was based on The Blue Mountains Eye Study, a community-based cohort, and involved 3,654 adults aged 49 years and over.
*Late AMD is when vision becomes impaired. Late AMD can be classified as dry (atrophic) macular degeneration or wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration.
Source article:
- Westmead Institute for Medical Research, ‘Cracking news: New study indicates regular egg consumption could reduce risk of developing macular degeneration’
Journal article:
Media story:
- Channel 9 News Sydney, ‘Key breakthrough to reduce risk of age-related macular degeneration’
Posted: April 2019
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