Daily intake of up to two eggs for 11 weeks does not affect the cholesterol balance of Chinese young adults

Zhili Ma 1, Wei Wu 1, Dexin Zhang 1, Ping Wu 1, Yuanhua Guo 1, Deyuan Li 1, Fang Yang 1

PMID: 35432976 PMCID: PMC9007305 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2734

Abstract

Approximately 90% of the cholesterol content of the body is derived from de novo synthesis and the enterohepatic circulation. As numerous studies have shown previously, one egg per day intake has little impact of cholesterol balance in human body. Therefore, this study assumed that intake of up two eggs a day has little effect on biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk in Chinese young adults. With the increase in egg intake, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and choline all increased among all the groups as the study progressed from autumn to winter (p < .05). However, there were no differences in the plasma triglycerides, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, glucose, liver enzymes, C-reactive protein, and urinary microalbumin during the diet periods. Subjects who ate eggs at breakfast felt less hungry and more satisfied, which were relative with decreased fasting plasma ghrelin level (p < .05). Furthermore, egg-derived cholesterol appeared to upregulate the mRNA levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase, and downregulate cholesteryl ester transfer protein and flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 mRNA levels in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These results demonstrate that intake of up to two eggs a day had little effect on biomarkers of CVDs in young, healthy Chinese college students and provided useful evidence for the dietary guidelines regarding egg consumption.

Keywords: Chinese young adults; cardiovascular diseases risk; cholesterol balance; egg; satiety.

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