EFFECT OF CONSUMPTION OF TWO ADDITIONAL EGGS EVERY DAY ON BLOOD CHOLESTEROL OF HEALTHY NORMOLIPIDEMIC PEOPLE, A CLINICAL TRIAL

INTRODUCTION: Dyslipidemia is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Nutrition can significantly affect blood lipids. Eggs are a common food for many people and are rich in nutrients and vitamins. They are also rich in cholesterol. Considering the different recommendations and controversies surrounding the healthiness or otherwise of egg consumption, we added two eggs to the usual daily dietary regimen of healthy normolipidemic young volunteers and monitored the changes in their lipid profile. METHODS: This clinical trial was done on 60 volunteers living in a university campus. They regularly ate food served in the university restaurant. Their diet was monitored from 2 weeks before the start of the new diet with additional eggs. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study. Two well-cooked moderately-sized eggs (all from the same supplier) were added to the subjects' breakfast for one month. Blood lipids were measured again at the end of this period. RESULTS: Mean levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride increased significantly, but remained within normal limits (P=0.001, 0.000 and 0.01, respectively). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) deceased significantly (P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Adding 14 eggs a week to the usual diet of normolipidemic healthy individuals can unfavorably affect blood lipids and may have adverse long-term cardiovascular consequences. In other words, eating less than two eggs a day may be a healthier practice.