Premium
Consumption of 2 eggs per day as compared to an oatmeal breakfast increases plasma carotenoids and markers associated with reverse cholesterol transport in young, healthy individuals
Author(s) -
Missimer Amanda C,
DiMarco Diana M,
Murillo Ana Gabriela,
Millar Courtney L,
Blesso Christopher N,
Fernandez Maria Luz
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.431.7
Subject(s) - cholesterol , food science , apolipoprotein b , carotenoid , chemistry , lecithin , paraoxonase , pon1 , sterol o acyltransferase , antioxidant , zoology , endocrinology , medicine , lipoprotein , biology , enzyme , biochemistry , genotype , gene
Despite the fact that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 withdrew the previous restriction on dietary cholesterol (300 mg/day), consumption outside of this range is met with resistance from the public. Eggs are a primary source of cholesterol in the diet, and are a good source of high quality protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant carotenoids. Therefore, we investigated the effects of two different isocaloric breakfasts, either two eggs/day or one bowl of oatmeal/day, on lipid metabolism and HDL functionality to compare the impact of regular consumption of these two foods. In the randomized, cross‐over intervention, participants included 26 women and 24 men, aged 18–30 y, with a BMI of 23.3 ± 3.2 kg/m 2 , and normolipidemic profile. Blood was collected at the end of each period to assess apolipoproteins and carotenoid concentrations, and paraoxonase‐1 (PON1), lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activities. Our initial findings reported no increase in LDL/HDL ratio, as both LDL‐C and HDL‐C increased, while there were no significant increases in plasma triglycerides, glucose or liver enzymes following consumption of 2 eggs for breakfast every day for four weeks. However, we sought to further examine the effects of regular egg consumption on markers of HDL metabolism and HDL functionality. Apolipoproteins were assessed using a magnetic bead‐based multiplex assay. While there was no difference in apolipoproteins A‐II, B, C‐II, C‐III, or E between groups, apoA‐I was significantly increased following egg consumption (p < 0.05). ApoA‐I is the primary apolipoprotein associated with reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), the transfer of excess cholesterol from extrahepatic tissues to HDL for clearance. Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations were increased following egg consumption (p < 0.001), which suggests increased presence of antioxidants in circulation. There was no difference in PON1 activity or CETP activity between groups. Additionally, LCAT, the enzyme responsible for converting free cholesterol into cholesteryl esters in HDL, was significantly increased following consumption of eggs as compared to an oatmeal breakfast (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that, compared to oatmeal, regular egg consumption (2/day) at breakfast may result in improvements in markers of HDL functionality in healthy populations. Support or Funding Information Funding: award to MLF by the Esperance Family Foundation and Egg Nutrition Center Dissertation Fellowship awarded to ACM.