Keep an eye on eggs!

Eggs help improve eye health. Recent research has demonstrated that the lutein and zeaxanthin in eggs are good for your eyes.

These two antioxidants from the carotenoid family protect the eyes from ultraviolet rays. They also help reduce the risk of cataracts and prevent macular degeneration, two age-related eye disorders.

These findings come from the Beaver Dam Eye Study the University of Wisconsin Medical School conducted with 3,684 subjects over a 10-year period. The study discovered that the body absorbs lutein and zeanxantin better when these substances are provided by eggs rather than by green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.

Other research studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition have also confirmed these findings. In fact, Suzen M. Moeller and her colleagues at Boston’s Tufts University Human Nutrition Research Center have found that a diet high in lutein and zeanxanthin can reduce the risk of cataracts by 20%, and macular degeneration by up to 40%.

The secret is in the yolk

It is important to know that the lutein and zeanxanthin are found in the yolk. On average, one egg yolk contains 30 µg/100 g of lutein and 25 µg/100 g of zeaxanthin. According to Donald J. McNamara, director of the American Egg Nutrition Centre, research has demonstrated that adding 1.3 egg yolks a day to the diet increases lutein levels by 38% and that of zeaxanthin by 128%.

When we look at it closely, we can see that eggs are among the most nutritious foods there is. And if we look even closer, we discover one of nature’s wonders. Any way you look at them, you got to love eggs!