Effect of n-3 fatty acid enriched eggs and organic eggs on serum lutein in free-living lacto-ovo vegetarians.
OBJECTIVE
Lutein is a xanthophyll found in the chloroplasts of dark green leafy vegetables, chromoplasts of fruits, and egg yolk. Dietary, serum and macular lutein are inversely related to the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Although the lutein from egg is known to be more bioavailable than that from spinach, not much is known about lutein bioavailability from n-3 fatty acid enriched eggs and organic eggs, both of which are increasingly available to consumers.


METHODS
We determined the effects of feeding n-3 fatty acid-enriched eggs and organic eggs on serum lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene in 20 healthy lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV) adults using a single-blind, randomized, crossover study design with a 4-week washout between treatments: six organic eggs or six n-3 fatty acid enriched eggs per week or no egg control for 8 weeks each.


RESULTS
Serum lutein was significantly higher in both egg treatments (P<0.009) compared with the control, but was not different between the two egg treatments. Serum β-carotene was also higher in the egg groups compared with control but only approached significance (P=0.066). Serum zeaxanthin increased in both egg treatments compared with control but did not reach statistical significance (P=0.139).


CONCLUSIONS
n-3 fatty acid enriched eggs and organic eggs may both significantly increase serum lutein in healthy LOV consuming a predominately plant-based diet.
Burns-Whitmore
B L
BL
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.
Haddad
E H
EH
Sabaté
J
J
Jaceldo-Siegl
K
K
Tanzman
J
J
Rajaram
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001682:Biological Availability; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D004530:Egg Yolk / Q000737:chemistry*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D058870:Food, Organic; D006801:Humans; D014975:Lutein / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D024341:Xanthophylls; D065146:Zeaxanthins; D019207:beta Carotene; D014975:Lutein