Dietary cholesterol contained in whole eggs is not well absorbed and does not acutely affect plasma total cholesterol concentration in men and women: Results from 2 randomized controlled crossover studies

Abstract

Whole egg is a food source of dietary cholesterol and inconsistent research findings exist about the effect of dietary cholesterol from whole egg on blood cholesterol concentration. We assessed the effect of co-consuming cooked whole egg (CWE) on dietary cholesterol absorption from two randomized-crossover studies. For study 1, 16 men consumed raw vegetables with no egg, 75 g CWE, or 150 g CWE. For study 2, 17 women consumed cooked vegetables with no egg or 100 g CWE. Triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fractions (TRL) were isolated from collected blood. In study 1, total-cholesterol areas under the curve (AUC)0�h in TRL were not different but triacylglycerol AUC0�h in TRL was greater for 150 g CWE vs. 75 g CWE and no egg. Similarly, in study 2, total-cholesterol AUC0�h in TRL was not different but triacylglycerol AUC0�h in TRL was greater for 100 g CWE vs. no egg. In both studies, whole egg consumption did not affect plasma total-cholesterol AUC0�h, while triacylglycerol AUC0�h was increased. These results suggest that the dietary cholesterol in whole egg was not well absorbed, which may provide mechanistic insight for why it does not acutely influence plasma total-cholesterol concentration and is not associated with longer-term plasma cholesterol control. � 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.