Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Intake of eggs and other lipid-rich foods has been a controversial topic for many years. However, some studies support the notion that regular intake of eggs and other lipid-rich foods does not increase biomarkers of cardiovascular disease and may even promote reductions in disease risk. Despite this consensus, the effect of such lipid-rich foods on plasma concentrations of other lipid metabolites remains unexamined. METHODS: To assess the impact of egg intake on these lipid metabolites, plasma from a previous study of egg intake (n = 35, 19M/18F, age 24.1 ± 2.2 yrs, with no lipid disorders) was obtained for analysis. Original samples were collected following a 0 egg/day washout period and 4-week intake of 3 eggs/day. Targeted lipidomic analysis by direct infused tandem MS using differential mobility spectrometry (Lipidyzer, Sciex) was used to identify and quantitate plasma lipid species. RESULTS: Lipidomic analysis quantified 739 lipid species in 13 different lipid classes. After summing individual species, only 1 of the 13 lipid classes (phosphatidylethanolamines) was significantly different (elevated) with egg consumption (p = 0.048). When applying a multiple testing correction, 62 lipid species were higher in plasma after egg consumption, and 34 were lower (P < 0.05). There were 643 lipid molecular species unchanged with egg consumption. Multivariate models were not able to be developed to distinguish when subjects were on the 0 egg vs. 3 egg diets. CONCLUSIONS: This study marks the first report of the total plasma lipidome in response to egg consumption. Approximately 13% of the lipid species detected were significantly changed with 3 egg/day intake though modeling approaches failed to differentiate between subjects on the two diets. These data are useful for contextualizing the global effects of egg consumption on plasma lipids in humans. FUNDING SOURCES: Egg Nutrition Center, Foods for Health, a focus area of the Discovery Themes at The Ohio State University, National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.