Consumption of up to Three Eggs per Day Increases Dietary Cholesterol and Choline while Plasma LDL Cholesterol and Trimethylamine N-oxide Concentrations Are Not Increased in a Young, Healthy Population

Eggs are a source of many nutrients, including cholesterol and choline, thus there is uncertainty regarding the impact of egg intake on plasma lipids and the choline metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). In particular, it has not been established whether there is a dose-dependency between egg consumption and changes in plasma lipids and plasma TMAO concentrations. Therefore, the effects of increasing daily egg intake on biomarkers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk were evaluated in a young, healthy population. Thirty-eight subjects (19 men/19 women, 24.1 ± 2.2 y, BMI 24.3 ± 2.5 kg/m2) were recruited for this 14-week crossover intervention. Participants underwent a 2-week washout period with no egg consumption (0 eggs/d), followed by the intake of 1, 2, and 3 eggs/d for 4 weeks each. Anthropometric data (weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC)), blood pressure (BP), dietary records, and plasma biomarkers (lipids, glucose, liver enzymes, C-reactive protein (CRP), choline,...