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Cholesterol/LipidsDiet-NutritionOmega-3 Fatty Acids

Eat eggs and lower your triglyceride levels?

JR

According to this study, you can if they’re n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) enriched eggs.

First, the details.

  • 25 volunteers were studied.
  • One group of volunteers ate 5 normal eggs per week for 3 weeks followed by 5 enriched eggs per week for the next 3 weeks.
  • The other group received eggs in the inverse sequence.
  • Hen feed was supplemented at 5% with tuna oil, and enriched eggs had 9 times more n-3 PUFA than usual eggs (mainly docosahexaenoic acid).

And, the results.

  • Eating enriched eggs was associated with a significant 16% to 18% decrease in blood triglyceride levels.
  • There was no change in LDL (bad) cholesterol or HDL (good) cholesterol.
  • Participants had no preference for either egg.

The bottom line?
For perspective, taking the prescription drug Lovaza, which contains omega-3 acid ethyl esters, causes triglyceride blood levels to decline about 45%.

For people with elevated triglycerides, eating the enriched eggs is an effective complementary approach to lowering triglyceride blood levels.

5/25/07 20:41 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

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