Lipid responses in mildly hypertriglyceridemic men and women to consumption of docosahexaenoic acid-enriched eggs

Abstract

This randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial assessed lipid responses in mildly hyper-triglyceridemic men and women to consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched eggs or ordinary chicken eggs. The study included 153 subjects aged 21-80 years, with serum triglyceride concentrations between 140 and 450 mg/dL, inclusive, and serum total cholesterol concentrations < 300 mg/dL. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either DHA-enriched (147 mg DHA/egg) or ordinary eggs (20 mg DHA/egg), added to their usual diets for six weeks (10 eggs/week). Both treatments significantly lowered triglycerides and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels from baseline; however, these changes were not significantly different between treatments. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations increased significantly in subjects who consumed DHA-enriched eggs (p = 0.047 vs. control). This increase was significantly higher than that observed with ordinary eggs. However, there was no significant increase in cholesterol carried by small, dense LDL particles, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Results of exploratory analyses suggest favorable effects of the DHA-enriched eggs over ordinary eggs on triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels in subjects with body mass index > or = 30 kg/m2; the DHA treatment produced a larger reduction in serum triglyceride concentration vs. ordinary eggs (-12.3 vs. 2.1%; p = 0.027), and there was a greater increase for HDL cholesterol in the DHA-enriched vs. ordinary egg group (5.0 vs. 1.1%; p = 0.040).