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Omega-3 eggs get extra boost from new research
A Canadian study has shown that eating a breakfast of eggs enriched
with omega-3 could improve blood triglyceride levels, boost heart health, and
help people reach their omega-3 recommended
intakes.
Extensive studies have shown that Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) has the potential to
decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
According to researchers from the University of
Guelph, who reported their findings in the journal Food Research
International (Vol. 39, pp. 910-916), eating Omega-3 enriched eggs could help
make up the omega-3 shortfall currently observed in many populations.
The current recommended intake of very long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFA) in the UK is 450mg per day. Yet researchers estimate that the
current mean intake amongst adults is only 282 mg per day.
In this study, 16 healthy men with moderately elevated levels of
triglycerides (more than 88.5 milligrams per decilitre of serum) ate either a
liquid egg breakfast or a control breakfast.
The liquid egg breakfast provided 0.63g per day of EPA and 0.64g per day of
DHA, while the control breakfast provided 0.013g per day of EPA plus DHA.
Blood samples taken from the men found that the egg breakfast decreased
triglyceride levels by 53.1 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL). The control
breakfast led to a reduction of 25.4 mg/dL.
A one millimoles per litre (mmol/L) increase in triglyceride levels can
increase the risk of CVD by 76 per cent in women and 32 percent in men. The
decreases observed in this study are equivalent to 0.6 mmol/L for the egg
breakfast, and 0.29 mmol/L for the control breakfast.
The liquid egg diet with 1.3g of EPA/DHA contained 240 kcal, approximately 10
percent of the total daily caloric intake. The EPA/DHA content in the liquid egg
product (which were not reported to have a fishy taste) is significantly higher
than that for many types of fish, including tuna, halibut and cod.
"This human study indicates the potential for a functional food (liquid egg)
containing fish-derived EPA/DHA to favourably influence multiple risk factors
for cardiovascular disease," concluded the researchers.
Editor WorldPoultry
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