Recently I described how, while testing flaxseed oil, I noticed that some eggs I had eaten seemed to have had a flaxseed-oil-like effect. The eggs came from grass-fed chickens; such eggs are believed to be high in omega-3. So the inference was plausible. But was it true?
To find out, I deliberately tested eggs. I used 2.5 large eggs (2 large, 1 small) to make scrambled eggs, which I ate. Here’s what happened:
The blue line shows when I ate the eggs. The red line is the average of the pre-egg reaction times. The main result is that, as suggested by the earlier data, there was a flaxseed-oil-like effect. I’m not sure what to make of the lowest point. I had eaten half of a cheese-and-mushroom crepe before that measurement. If the crepe was digested quickly, that would have reduced reaction time. (Sugar drinks clearly do this.)
Here are the accuracy values.
Mostly there was little change in accuracy. However, one value (90%) was very low, the lowest value in a long time. It happened before the biggest changes in reaction times. It might be due to the eggs.
My main conclusion is that yes, the eggs acted like flaxseed oil — presumably because of their omega-3. In addition, the results increase my belief that this method can measure the brain effects of ordinary food and can generate ideas worth testing.
Seth,
Very interesting results. This might be a good opportunity to test the effect of high and low omega-3 eggs without knowing which ones you are consuming in advance (assuming the eggs taste the same).
Eggs are the only food I’m allergic to. It actually took me years to figure out that egg consumption the cause of the problem which manifested itself as a severe lack of energy. For example, I could walk very slowly but not quickly and not run even a few steps. (And this could go on for hours.) My understanding is that this could have been an immune response provoked by egg protein getting into my circulatory system somehow.
I mention this because allergy to eggs is very common and could be a confounding factor.
What method did you use to test the Omega-3 levels in the eggs? Did you test your blood or did you test the egg yolks themselves? Do you know of a machine or piece of equipment on the market that can test for Omega-3 levels in egg yolks?
I didn’t test the eggs myself. The packaging indicated the omega-3 value. Omega-3 levels can only be measured with very expensive machines.