Abstract
The lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV) dietary regimen allows eggs, which are a rich source
of choline. Consumption of eggs by LOV women may be especially important during pregnancy
and lactation when demand for choline is high. The aim of this single blind, randomized,
crossover-feeding study was to determine how near-daily egg consumption influenced
biomarkers of choline metabolism in healthy LOV women of reproductive age (n=15).
Because long-chain n-3 fatty acids could influence choline metabolism, the effect
of n-3–enriched vs nonenriched eggs on choline metabolites was also investigated.
Three 8-week dietary treatments consisting of six n-3–enriched eggs per week, six
nonenriched eggs per week, and an egg-free control phase were separated by 4-week
washout periods. Choline metabolites were quantified in fasted plasma collected before
and after each treatment and differences in posttreatment choline metabolite concentrations
were determined with linear mixed models. The n-3–enriched and nonenriched egg treatments
produced different choline metabolite profiles compared with the egg-free control;
however, response to the eggs did not differ (P>0.1). Consumption of the n-3–enriched egg treatment yielded higher plasma free choline
(P=0.02) and betaine (P<0.01) (vs egg-free control) concentrations, whereas consumption of the nonenriched
egg treatment yielded borderline higher (P=0.06) plasma phosphatidylcholine (vs egg-free control) levels. Neither egg treatment
increased levels of plasma trimethylamine oxide, a gut-flora–dependent oxidative choline
metabolite implicated as a possible risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Overall
these data suggest that egg fatty-acid composition modulates the metabolic use of
choline.
Keywords
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Biography
A. A. West is a postdoctoral associate, Division of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Biography
M. A. Caudill is a professor, Division of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Biography
Y. Shih is a renal dietitian, DaVita Dialysis Center, Montclair, CA; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student, Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Biography
W. Wang is a lecturer, Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
K. Oda is a statistician and instructor, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Population Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
K. Jaceldo-Siegl is an assistant research professor, Department of Nutrition, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
J. Sabaté is a professor, Department of Nutrition, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
E. Haddad is an associate professor, Department of Nutrition, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
S. Rajaram is an associate professor, Department of Nutrition, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA.
Biography
B. Burns-Whitmore is a professor, Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 13, 2014
Accepted:
December 5,
2013
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This study was funded by a fellowship grant from the American Egg Board and the Agriculture Research Institute at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
