Dose-Dependent Increases in Liver Cholesterol but Not Plasma Cholesterol from Consumption of One to Five Whole Eggs and No Effects from Egg Whites on Liver or Plasma Cholesterol in Hamsters

It remains inconclusive regarding the dose-dependent effect of egg consumption on plasma cholesterol in humans. It is unknown if egg white consumed in a normal amount can reduce plasma cholesterol. We used hamsters as a model to (i) investigate the dose-dependent effect of consuming 0 to 5 whole eggs on plasma total cholesterol (TC), and (ii) examine if egg white equivalent to 1-5 eggs possessed any reducing effect on plasma TC. In experiment 1, hamsters were divided into 6 groups (n=8 each) and fed either a control diet or five experimental diets supplemented with whole egg powders equivalent to 1 to 5 eggs/2000 kcal. Results showed that supplementation of one egg increased plasma TC by 25% compared with the control (226±16 versus 282±56 mg/dL, p<0.05), while supplementation of 2-5 eggs did not significantly produce additional raising effect on plasma cholesterol. However, supplementation of 1-5 eggs in diets caused a dose-dependent accumulation of cholesterol in liver from 21.5±4.4 to 71.3±7.3 mg/g (p<0...