PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the nutrients in eggs, specifically in the yolk, on the visual cognitive performance (VCP) in generally healthy older individuals. METHODS: One hundred six generally healthy men (40) and women (66) aged 50 to 75 years were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatment groups: four egg whites (EW); two whole regular eggs (WE); two whole Omega-3 FA fortified eggs (O3E); four egg yolks (EY); and a no-egg control (NEC). Subjects maintained their usual dietary intake including the treatment modifications daily for 30 days. VCP was measured using the NeuroTracker(TM) CORE (NT) 3-Dimensional (3-D) software program (15 training sessions) during the final 2 weeks of the study. Participants recorded daily food intake during the first 2 weeks of treatment and each day they trained on the NT. Food logs were analyzed using Nutribase software. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS using the paired sample t test, the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measures ANOVA, ANCOVA and multiple regression. RESULTS: The dietary intervention successfully created distinct dietary intake differences for choline, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol (P<0.01) between groups. Cognitive training improved VCP in all groups (+37%, P<0.01) but there were no differences between egg groups (P>0.10). There were significant increases in Lutein ((P=0.02), Zeaxanthin (P=0.004) and L + Z (P=0.006) in the WE treatment group only. CONCLUSION: Dietary and cognitive interventions were successful at altering dietary intake, significantly improving serum lutein and zeaxanthin in the whole egg treatment group and improving VCP among all treatment groups with limited impact on lipid levels. No egg consumption pattern was superior in improving cognitive responses.
