In a 2006 study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, 33 people age 60 or
older were divided into two groups. During the first five weeks, one group
ate one egg per day while the other group ate no eggs; both groups stopped
eating eggs for a period of time and then the groups were reversed for
another five weeks.
In the egg-eating groups, blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin rose 26% in
the first phase of the study and 38% in the second phase. Neither group
experienced any significant change in their cholesterol levels.
One regular egg per day, despite having relatively little lutein and
zeaxanthin, was enough to raise these antioxidant levels in seniors without
raising their cholesterol levels. This finding suggests that eggs – and
possibly eggs from chickens that eat grass and other fresh vegetation in
particular (“grass-fed”) – could be a part of a healthy diet for older people trying to
prevent macular degeneration.
(J Nutr 2006;136:2519-24)